


pIneScape

by Hodghead



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: AU, Adult Dipper Pines, Adult Mabel Pines, Alternate Universe, Betrayal, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human Bill Cipher, I didn't realize how tags worked, M/M, Plot Twists, Plotty, Possible Character Death, Wealthy, ford is lost, maybe some mabifica, plot heavy, these tags are super confusing, update every friday-sunday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-06-07 05:12:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 79,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6786745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hodghead/pseuds/Hodghead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Pines legacy of archaeologists ended because of international criticism, and no one bothers reclaiming the lost honor. Dipper Pines is the first in two generations to attempt rebuilding his family's reputation as renowned adventurers.  In his late 20's he's discovered something that may lead him to his missing great uncle and everything he's searched for... but will he risk joining forces with a madman to find it all? Bill x Dipper; BillDip </p><p>AU; where Dipper is an aspiring archaeologist and Bill is a multi-millionaire mystery man</p><p>~~~</p><p>///The brunette took a step back and found a broken pair of glasses in his palm. Ford...</p><p>"Welcome to Mindscape, kid."///</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ah so HELLO! This is a reupload from Fanfiction.net-- don't worry I wrote that story too so NO COPYING HERE -w- In any case, HERE'S THE LOWDOWN
> 
> I suck at updating. I will probably forget to update, but I'm going to try my absolute best here. Fuck, I've even set up a calendar note. I'm going to try for every Friday-Sunday. If not that, then every other week. Please forgive me for long absences, I'm a freshman in high school so I'm not extraordinarily busy- but I'm pretty good at getting distracted. It's sort of an innate behavior for me.
> 
> Also, this is a reupload so I may just burst upload chapters today... dunno yet. Regardless, Fanfiction.net chapters will be up sooner than chapters here, but hopefully not much later.
> 
> In addition, I have a new note here. I've decided that for the Archive of Our Own version of pIneScape, that I will add smut scenes. I'll add a note before they happen, and they'll have nothing to do with the plot-- so there's no harm in missing them. In the Teen version on fanfic, it'll be included that Dipper and Bill have sex, but there will be nothing graphic. Thank you ;w;

Papers blew softly in the moonlight. Hands quickly snatched them back as they began to flutter off, followed by a rough growl. A lone man stood and angrily shoved down the window in which the cool wind came. A blistering heat soon returned to the room, and a sweat broke out upon his trembling skin.

Two months. Six months. A year. Dipper Pines, a man determined to find everything his absent uncle had once searched for before vanishing, had all but kept track of the time he'd spent staring at these documents. He didn't mind the time. For all he cared, he'd search for the rest of his life. Dipper Pines would risk his entire existence to prove his great uncle right. The supernatural are real. Spirits. The immortal soul. Monsters.

It _had_ to be real.

El Dorado, Atlantis, Olympus, the Fountain of Youth...

All those places recalled by historians, but labeled as whimsical fairy tales; Uncle Ford was completely lost in finding them. His thirst for knowledge earned him a small fortune, but after years of nonsensical outbursts he was declared unhinged. Some would even consider him a heretic. It cost him most of his fortune earned from great scientific and historical discoveries. All that was left was enough to pay for his niece's art degree and art studio, and Dipper's travels. Thanks to Uncle Ford, Dipper Pines was able to continue in his search for answers. At 23, Dipper had traveled half of the globe. Of course he mostly hitched rides with cheap planes and rented vehicles, because he wanted to conserve what was left of Uncle Ford's small fortune.

His use of his uncle's journals had led him to undiscovered tombs and remains of great civilizations. The journals were the foundation of all his journeys. Without them, he'd never be able to find what he had discovered. The man had already filled up his own journal with updated information of the various places. New finds, creatures, and artifacts. He never took any of the relics from the places. The books warned him of it, and Dipper had seen too many movies to be tempted to steal the golden relics he founds himself surrounded by. Surely a painful death awaited him if he did.

Death was truly a luxury he could not afford. He was the only one in his entire family who was even remotely determined to prove his uncle right. Not even his own twin, Stan, bothered with the matter. It was even a common theme to hear his Grunkle Stan talk about his brother as if he also believed Ford had gone mad. That's why many times a day Dipper and Stan would argue about the younger reading the journals. It had gotten so bad to a point where Stan had banned the books from entering his shop where Dipper worked. The younger complied, bitterly, but complied nonetheless. He usually didn't find time in the shop to read anyways since Stan had him working without much of a lunch break. Not to mention the surprisingly steady flow of customers during the day.

The mere thought of work sent Dipper on edge. He ran a rough hand through his soft, but tousled, brown hair. It was times like these that Dipper felt older than usual. For God's sake! He was only 26! Yet he felt nearly 50 with all that had been happening as of late. Heavy bags lay under his eyes, and several strands of grey hair poked through and glowed in the moonlight. What time was it? Dipper shifted his gaze towards the small numbers in the corner of his beat up laptop. 1:00 a.m. again, huh?

Tired limbs struggled to pull the boy up, and soon he was off to grab some more coffee. His eyes swept around the hallways lazily. Always be alert. Trust no one. Dipper flipped on the lights to the kitchen and could practically feel his eyes dilate sharply. His vision blurred and darkened for a moment as all the blood rushed down from his head. He wasn't he only one awake, he thought. The soft sound of people talking on the streets in front of his apartment building seemed to make his head ache. Probably some high schoolers back from partying. How long had it been since he'd gotten out of the house? One quick look into his nearly empty fridge and it became clear to him that it'd probably been a week or so. He reached into the cold storage. His hand emerged with a nearly empty bottle of creamer, which he drained into a mug as he poured cold coffee into it. No sugar. He'd run out of that yesterday. Dipper took a long drink of the bitter beverage before pulling it away from his pursed lips, and he let out a sigh. He'd have to go out and grab some more rations. What day was it? Thursday, he thought after a moment. Tomorrow- or today, he'd have to be at work right at 7:00 a.m. Six hours of sleep? Maybe it was better if he just pulled an all-nighter. After all, the Pines boy had already poured another cup of coffee. It should last him another ten hours at least.

Now satisfied with his refilled beverage, Dipper returned to his bedroom and sat back down in front of his laptop. Another pang of stress shot through him. It was times like these he wished he had his uncle. Dipper remembered his younger days when Uncle Ford would take him out on digs to places reserved for only the most elite archaeologists. No matter who told Ford that his nephew was too young to be digging up human remains, he would simply reply back with the same statement.

"My nephew is more ready for the world than you will ever be! The kid is a genius when it comes to archaeology, and I'm sure he'll be a marvelous digger!"

A soft smile found its way upon Dipper's face. He always became so gleeful when his uncle praised him like that in front of others. It was one of the reasons he was so determined on regaining his uncle's honor and finishing his work. Dipper Pines never wasted his skills, just like his uncle had told him not to. His knack for uncovering mysteries and making daring, but accurate assumptions had served him well. He owed his entire life to Ford.

Memories of the two made Dipper's heart churn with a wave of feelings. It made him... lonely. He'd been lacking in human interaction for most of his adult life, and most of his socializing was with his grunkle and Mabel over Skype. It had been this way ever since he'd left his parents house. His old summer friends sometimes called, but they were off living their lives. Wendy was already married, as was Soos, and Pacifica was running her family business. His twin was busy running her art studio and probably managing various crushes. It never ceased to amaze him how much everyone else had accomplished, while he hadn't done nearly anything except obsess over his uncle's work.

And unlike them... he was all alone.

There was no one he knew of that was willing to share in his line of work. Dipper had already requested the help of various archaeological and historical facilities, even the college his uncle attended, but nearly none of them had even bothered responding to him. The only one that had, which was the community college Stan had attended, had sent an ad that recommended he direct his talents elsewhere. Not that any college would probably ever accept him, nor any historical job. Mabel was lucky to get accepted into a good art school, but it all came down to her denying any interest in pursuing her uncle's goals. It was unlikely that Dipper would ever deny his relations to his uncle for something so insignificant.

He sighed heavily and took another sip of coffee. Silently he pondered whether or not there may be some unofficial organization that may help him. It was a long shot, considering most of the people who were even interested in this stuff were "weirdness bloggers", which were mostly just lazy guys who shouted Illuminati whenever they saw a triangle. It seemed unlikely that there would be people out there with enough influence to open up digging sights, or who have the desire to go out and explore vast and dangerous areas.

When Dipper opened up a new tab, he found himself hesitating over the search bar. What should he type? There wasn't a single place he was working on finding. Well, this month he'd been focusing on the fountain of youth, but that was only one of his many projects. After a moment of consideration he typed a statement into the bar regarding the relic. The wiki for it was the first thing that showed up, and most of the rest were mostly articles. His chocolate brown eyes scanned over the soaring screen, his skill in speed reading allowing him to read at what may be considered record speed.

"C'mon..." He grumbled after about twenty minutes of searching. He'd opened up a few links, none of them answering his question. The Pine's boy was beginning to lose faith. Since no one seemed to be looking for one of the most known treasures in this world, why would the others be different? It was a pretty negative thought, but Dipper was already near his own depression. One victory. The boy needed just one. "Please be something..."

Dipper clicked open an article regarding information on a secret organization that claimed that they knew the approximate location of the fountain. It wasn't the first that he'd opened, but the others were filled with criticism and very questionable theories. This one on the other hand...

New information flooded his head as Dipper found himself absolutely infatuated with this article. It went into great detail about an organization known as Mindscape. Evidently it was a secret society owned by a mysterious person who'd never shown their identity. The only reason people knew of this man, or possibly woman, was because of the strange messages they posted around the internet and places in the world. The most frequent message was even quoted in the article.

 _"Reality is an illusion. The universe is a hologram. Buy gold! Bye!_ "

After reading the statement aloud, Dipper pondered it for a moment. It was definitely some outrageous comment. The owner of it never went into detail or even bothered explaining its meaning. Maybe the leader of Mindscape meant this as a puzzle. It was definitely worth thinking about, even if it was nonsense. He took a few moments more to finish the article and reread it to make sure he didn't miss anything. He found the information given intriguing. The organization focused on various projects, but like the article said, it was making an increasing amount of claims about the fountain of youth.

There were several links posted that led to various pictures and screenshots of the messages Mindscape had written. The man skimmed over the pictures before inspecting each closer. It seemed like the pictures held recurring themes. The physical messages written on walls and paper were always in black, and always had a yellow drawing of an eye drawn neatly next to it. The drawing resembled the eye of Horus, the Egyptian deity. It also looked stamped. Either that or it was perfectly drawn each time. The eye on the wall looked more crude, and it made him wonder if they really were all drawn. Regardless, Dipper examined the screenshots. All the messages were written by different users, but all of them were followed by a dash then the word "Mister Triangle". It was an odd name. It may have ties to the illuminati, and Dipper began to wonder how people linked that specific name to the leader of Mindscape. Only after clicking two more of the links did he find out, and the photograph absolutely chilled him to the bone.

It was of an old parchment paper. There was a perfect triangle with the same eye of Horus drawn onto it. The triangle appeared to be made of bricks, halfway up its body at least. Attached to its collar was a neat, black bow tie, and on his head was a matching top hat. It had skinny limbs posed so that it seemed to make the character look like it was waiting to be worshiped. It looked very much like a gentleman, although a very triangular one.

That wasn't the part that had shocked him.

There was a pair of six fingered hands holding it onto the table. Hands that had familiar stubble and scars worn onto it.

... Ford ...

Dipper quickly checked the date that the picture was taken, but it only showed the time that the article author had posted it. "No no no!" His growls of frustration and anger building up as he opened a new tab and searched rapidly for information on the picture. Those were his uncle's hands! They _had_ to belong to Ford! He... he could still be alive! He checked every single last place in the internet for the date that picture was taken. As far as he knew, it could've been taken a year ago!

A sigh escaped his lips. Now was not the time to panic. This only occurred to him after two hours of frantic searching. 3:26 a.m. He was laying on his bed, leaving the papers and books on the floor as though discarded. His laptop lay closed on his lap as he stared into the ceiling.

The Pines twin took a moment to collect his thoughts before considering how to process the situation. Okay. He found a picture of "Mister Triangle", in other words, the deity of a secret organization known as Mindscape. It could possibly be the symbol for the leader. Mindscape is a secret society focused on solving secrets, and judging by the picture, his uncle may be involved in this organization. It also be that his uncle is alive and well and working for these people, or is dead and Mindscape knows where he is. He may also be an enemy of Mindscape.

The thought didn't occur to him until now. It didn't make sense though. From what the article said, Mindscape was invested on solving mysteries for the sake of the public. To cure illness, to end poverty, to do a ton of chivalrous acts of kindness. It sounded exactly like something his uncle would want to join, not be an enemy of. Dipper didn't throw away the possibility nonetheless, he just narrowed it down to that his uncle was indeed related somehow to Mindscape.

Regardless of Ford's relationship to the society, Dipper Pines set a new goal for himself. Find Ford. He had a lead now. A picture that may not even be Ford, but the boy wasn't going to give into doubt.

He needed to contact Mindscape.

Dipper sat upright and cracked open his laptop once more. It didn't take him very long to find the Mindscape webpage, although various pop-up viruses were something that provided a challenge. After multiple accidental and forced downloads, he made it to the site. It was clearly their site, because the first thing he saw were detailed paragraphs about their projects and intentions. "Hmph," Dipper clicked the site link. "For a secret society, you don't try to be very secret." Scrolling up and down the screen, the boy found a brief summary about Mindscape. It recanted most of what was said in the article, except it was definitely more cryptic... and annoying.

 _If you're looking at this webpage, then you're probably wishing you hadn't. I hope you enjoyed those viruses, they'll force your computer to restart every four hours!_ , the site remarked. _So, unless you're a serious masochist and don't see dead bodies on a regular basis, go ahead and leave. Unless you want to find us. Then keep reading, kid! I hope your eyeballs don't implode just yet from the cosmic forces working around you!_

... thanks.

Pressing on, he supposed. Nothing of interest really popped up. It mostly spouted information about the universe and philosophical nonsense. Dipper decided he'd look into it later, but right now he was determined to find information on how to contact Mindscape. After about another 45 minutes he realized that it was sort of a lost cause to find some simple way to contact these people. They were a secret society after all. The site also failed to mention any procedure that may gain the attention of a member. All it offered was strange advice on warding off the future, which hardly seemed sensible. You can't stop things from happening if it has already been decided. That was his thought on the matter, and that was the last thought he had for shutting his laptop down.

Even though this mess was only increasing his frustration, he felt a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. Dipper knew it was because he knew that someone out there may know his uncle, where he may be, and if he's still alive. Just a simple yes, and the Pines boy would be able to sleep soundly at night.

Sleep. It weighed heavily on his eyelids. That coffee didn't last, did it? He chuckled lightly to himself before letting out a loud yawn. Time. It was irrelevant at the moment. Dipper figured his alarm would care more than he did.

And it was clear at 7:00 a.m. that Dipper Pines was correct.

* * *

Bill Cipher.

 _Heh. Another job well done_ , the man with glittering gold eyes remarked to himself as he looked over the news regarding his beloved Mindscape. _I should start praising my supporters... NAH! Those fleshy assholes just need some virgins! ... Where do you find virgins again?_

Randomized and spontaneous thoughts such as these were what kept Bill Cipher, "Mister Triangle", busy during his free time. Besides harassing people, of course. It was a pleasure within itself after all!

Soft light of a computer screen illuminated his devilish face. If Bill could be called anything, than it would surely be just that. A devil. One of debauchery no less. Messing with people for his own pleasurable gains were his forte. This... was one of his intentions for creating Mindscape. Surely one of the larger factors that keeps him going after all that has happened in his life.

 _Hmmm..._ Bill scrolled through his email. It was something completely nonsensical. An array of numbers and symbols that compiled into a sentence only he understood. There were only few who knew his email, and Bill was keen on keeping it that way. If his identity was leaked, not only could he be charged for damage of property, but also the dissatisfaction of losing his "alter ego". Bill Cipher was quite proud of the fact that many cared to know who he was, but none truly knew. Not even his closest colleagues. Or friends. Only his-

His eyes lazily rolled to the side to look at an email notification. Ugh. Kryptos. He hated that little moron. Always bothering him with giggles and stupid cat memes. Bill almost regretted giving his email to him. Actually, he did regret it. Greatly. Regardless, Kryptos was second best in his little organization with coding and deciphering them. Mostly hacking and programming. Which was very useful considering that Kryptos was the one to shut off cameras and disable radios when they slink about areas. It gave them enough time to sneak in and take important documents. Usually data or maps to tombs that they'd raid for relics. Smartly, of course. Well. Maybe not so smart. After all, Bill was a fan of explosions.

The screen flickered to the email. _Check this out. Pines are back, hehe!_ The face that always seemed to display some form of amusement instantly contorted into something chaotically violent. Bill had opened up the link that Kryptos had sent him. It led him to his webpage, and to the list that showed who'd visited the site. The user name for the person Kryptos was referring to...

Dipper_Pines.

Pines.

"Oh, isn't this flattering." His chair squeaked as he leaned back onto it, kicking his feet up onto his desk. "The Pine's family returns! This should be a novel! Two kids from the same family interested in me...! interesting..."

Cipher wasn't particularly shocked that Dipper had found him. Although he did believe up until now that it would be many generations after ol' Fordsy before any other Pines would come following after his not-so-well covered tracks. Regardless, he was curious to Dipper's intentions. It was clear that he wanted something Mindscape had. Usually people don't stumble along his website just like that. Thanks to Kryptos, it was exceedingly frustrating to get to his main page. Numerous, if not tens of virus inducing pop-ups would invade your screen before you'd even make it to the site. So, unless you thought this was some freaky porn site and didn't care if your computer got jacked, then you probably stayed for a reason.

Leaning forward once again, Bill returned to what he did best. Finding things.

* * *

"DodedodoDA!"

If Dipper Pines could label anything in this entire world as "WARNING: BLINDING MAY OCCUR UPON VIEWING", he'd definitely label his grunkle's dancing as such. The man shook his hips with an unnatural twist, popping every so often. Shouldn't his back give out by now... He gave an unpleasant shudder as his grunkle grabbed a Pit Cola from the vending machine in the corner. "Grunkle Stan, I think you're going to give nightmares to children if you keep walking around in your underwear."

The old man simply grunted and dismissed it. "Yeah right, kid. I'm pretty hip for my old age!" To make matters worse, Stan attempted to mimic a pose he'd seen several teenagers do outside once while talking selfies. There was a sudden cry from the other side of the room as a child burst into tears. The mother came up behind him and covered his eyes. "It's alright Jimmy! I'm sure the mean man isn't _that_ old and ugly!" The woman reassured her child, who failed to stop crying.

Grunkle Stan grumbled something before heading off into the backroom. His niece couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even though he'd arrived at work about an hour later than he should've, Dipper didn't feel at all threatened when he teased his grunkle. It wasn't as if the action wasn't mutual.

He directed his attention back to the phone in his hands. This entire morning he'd been on the Mindscape site. For now he'd keep it to himself. Mabel probably would try to dismiss it as some crazy thing, although she'd regret saying it later. She always did have an odd view about Ford. After all that she's been forced to say and go through to get where she is, her opinion had been warped. The female Pines twin had loved Ford. She liked looking at the photographs he had of ancient families and animals. A picture of Big Foot, which was actually just Gigantopithecus, a massive ape that had been thought to be extinct, for example. Of course, it'd been labeled false as well. Ford could've proved it by killing the creature, but he refused to kill something so rare. At least, that's what he told Dipper.

"Face lifts are still an option!" He called out to his uncle before a boot was flung in his direction. It popped Dipper right in the head and caused his hat to fall right off. "Ouch..." Bending over, he went to recover his hat, not even bothering with the smelly boot. When he straightened himself up, he found himself pausing before placing the hat on his head.

Someone was holding one of the duck-beaver displays in front of him. It might as well be known as a platypus, now that he examined it.

"Can I help you?" Dipper asked before placing his pine tree hat back onto its rightful spot. This guy sent chills down his spine. He had that evil sort of stare that made you want to call the police immediately. If Dipper was on a plane, he'd be nearly certain that this man was carrying a bomb. "No, I don't think you can, Pinetree."

The other raised his brow, before the man gestured towards Dipper's hat. A pine tree. It was an odd nickname, but it wasn't at all minded. After all, it was unlikely he'd be seeing this person after he left. Only during rare occasions would a customer returned. Usually people arrived simply for the kick of it, stayed for thirty minutes or so, then left after having all their money be replaced by stupid, fake attractions.

Tan and tattooed hands caressed the animal softly. "Then... do you want to buy that?" For some reason, Dipper had the feeling that this guy wasn't even at all interested in the animal or anything around him. He didn't even look like he had a purpose for talking to Dipper. "Nah. I don't think I want to, but I will! Just for you kid!" He slapped down... one hundred dollars. A crisp one hundred dollar bill. This thing wasn't even worth ten cents, and the price wasn't at a hundred. Not even by a long shot. "Keep the change!"

Dipper nearly dropped his phone. A hundred dollars just like that was nothing to sneeze at when you're living off of a low wage like what his grunkle was paying him. He set his phone down and looked at the man. "Who are you?" He had to ask. People don't usually just hand out cash like that on a whim. Dipper took back the thought about him looking like he had no purpose. This man definitely wanted something, and he was trying to get it out of Dipper.

The other laughed, a thin smirk forming along his mouth. "Me? Well I'm Bill Cipher! Procurer of oddities! Say, do you have any deer teeth around here? Maybe some unicorn hair?" The statement took him aback a bit. It was strange, but Dipper figured it was just his form of dark humor. He decided to laugh along with it. Bill Cipher, huh? Intriguing. "I don't think you'll find anything like that around here. Mostly just rare creatures such as the beer- half bear, half deer. Or maybe the world's largest finger, taken from the Giants of the East!" There was a sarcastic edge to his voice as he joked. Bill wasn't an idiot, unlike a lot of other people who came in here. The amounts of families that arrive and actually believe his grunkle's "attractions" are real was actually disturbing.

"You joke about this stuff, but there's a lot out there, Pinetree. You just haven't seen it yet." Cipher was using the same card he used on Ford. Dipper didn't know it yet, and it was working miracles. If the young man wasn't paying attention before, he was certainly listening now. There was an adventurous glint to his eyes. Bill saw it too. It was almost stunning how much Pinetree and Ford resembled each other in this way. It excited the man. "Heh, careful kid. I wouldn't take what I say too literally. The most a you'll see in your lifetime is probably some flesh bag attempting to convince people the end is near, or maybe even a two headed moth."

Bill was challenging him. The man truly wanted to see how Dipper would respond. Would he agree? Maybe he'd back away and avoid touching on those topics, especially since most people knew about the Pines family. Or instead he'd disagree; that the supernatural was real. Cipher wanted to hear the kid say it.

"I don't know, man." The younger began with an almost dreamy look to his face. "There's too many unsolved mysteries out there for it to all be fake." Oh how _very_ intriguing. The kid really does believe it, doesn't he? This only served to widen the smirk on Bill's face. Absentmindedly, his eyes wandered to Dipper's phone. His site was pulled up. Oh my! "I like your flare, kid!" He complimented, flicking his golden eyes back up. Dipper couldn't help but get slightly flustered at the flattery. It really wasn't all that often he got complimented for such matters

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh. Well... It's not really something I should be boasting about. Not a lot of people can appreciate the stuff like that out there." There was a longing in Dipper's eyes. You could usually spot it time and again when he looked at the shop. This place really was where it hurt most, because it was a mockery. All these fake attractions were scams. It was almost like his grunkle's very own cruel reminder that fantasy was dead. Stan didn't mean it to be like that. All the novelties were simply his grunkle's way of getting quick, easy cash from one-time customers. Regardless, the irony still stood. The name of the store, "The Mystery Shack", it was all sickeningly ironic given his family's history.

Ford's history.

"Don't sweat it, Pinetree! People around here are just too stupid to really see beyond the walls- if you know what I mean." Bill offered a wink. Despite Dipper not knowing him very well, he found himself chuckling at the strange excuse for comfort. His words were a bit cryptic, but this guy seemed a little off in any case. Dipper silently wondered if that's what he sounded like when he talked about mysteries. Probably a little less cocky. "In any case!" The blonde broke the other out of his pondering. "I shall be taking my leave! Try to keep your phone screen clear. There's too many wandering eyes, don't you agree?"

Dipper quickly looked down to his phone screen. He still had the Mindscape webpage up. Did Bill know about them- or did he just figure it was some weird blog? The Pines boy waved it off as Bill's way of looking out for him. After all, if someone else less empathetic saw his search history he may be in for a bit of teasing or pity. "I'll smell you later Pinetree! Buy some gold- you'll need it!"

And like that, Bill Cipher was gone.

* * *

Dipper let the arrival and departure of the strange Bill Cipher marinate for the rest of the day. There was plenty of time to, after all. Not many people showed up after the blonde. It came as a welcome relief to Dipper, who wanted nothing more than to research more about Mindscape. Line after line he reread. The site really didn't have hours of reading in it, but Dipper was determined to decode every secret in it. There were already a couple, mostly easy ones. Statements written backwards that formed non-coherent sentences- but using the first letter to each word and you spell out three words.

I SEE EVERYTHING

It wasn't really meaningful to Dipper. If anything, he found it to be slightly annoying that they'd use such a platitude statement. Despite that however, he found it a lot more challenging to decipher the other things on the page. Other statements, pictures, scattered numbers, unknown symbols... If this society didn't have something to do with Ford, Dipper would've written it off as nonsense. Even if it did mean something then it would still remain irrelevant to him.

"Okay kiddo- Yeesh Dipper. You look like you just watched a twenty hour marathon of 'Pretty Boys Become Even More Prettier'." Stan remarked. The boy slumped onto the counter at the remark. He'd been focused on one of the harder to crack codes for about an hour now. Considering the other ones that he'd solved that day, this one would probably be some super demeaning statement. Maybe, "Go eat you're grandma's ass", or possibly, "Let me kindly light you on fire because you spent so long doing this code". He'd greatly approve of the last one at the moment. In any case, Dipper's body language and face instantly told Stan that he was in a state of agitation. Over what, his grunkle honestly didn't know. For the time being Stan decided it was Dipper finally getting on a dating site. Faint memories of Mabel signing him up for one almost made him shudder. The kid was horrible with girls. Last time, he brought a super girly one out on a hunting trip for a "great bear". The time before that, he had a tomboy who he took out to go get dresses. Mabel let him off easy after he almost got his ass whooped twice by those two; dropping the idea of Dipper finding a mate online altogether.

His muscles ached as he stood up straight, several cracks ripping through the room in an unholy chorus of arthritis. "Thanks for the horrible reminder." The memory of Mabel making him do such a thing made him shudder. It took him nearly a month to get those stupid musical numbers out of his head. "I've just been... looking up new ideas for attractions. It's a little hard when your grunkle has reinvented the platypus." The lie was pretty obvious to Dipper, but Stan ate that stuff up. Well, it was better than having him scold the younger for admitting what he was actually doing for the past hours. "Hehe! Good work, kid! Soon I'll be able to hand off the family business to you and get my ass back to Vegas!"

Just like usual, those words seemed to leave Dipper cringing. He loved his grunkle. He'd never admit it, but he did. Taking over the Shack wasn't what he wanted however. It seemed more like a job meant for someone else more... conman-ish. As experienced in the past, Dipper was the _worst_ conman on the planet. Every time he attempted to scam someone, he always ended up spilling some information that put him at the short end of the deal, or calling off the deal due to his morals. Running a business like this could only lead to disaster. Even Stan knew that Dipper wasn't that great of a con, but for whatever reason, he was keen on letting the boy take over the business. Maybe it's because Mabel wouldn't take it. Even Mabel would do a better job than him... and she'd enjoy it.

"Yeah..." He muttered to himself. Dipper directed his gaze back towards his phone where he saw the time. Closing time. "Anyways, it's time to close up Grunkle Stan. Do you want me to-"

Stan waved off his offer to tidy up the shop. It was usually a gesture well accepted. The old man really did have back issues, and it _still_ was a surprise that his back hadn't given, so he usually didn't mind. "You've been good today, kiddo." As if he wasn't everyday. "I'm... proud of you. Thanks for being good to the family." That immediately caught Dipper's attention. He looked up at his grunkle to find that he was wearing a nostalgic face. Did he really enjoy hearing Dipper say that he was excited about running the business- or was it...

Dipper smiled at Stan and went around the counter. "No problem! First thing tomorrow?" The older smiled warmly, something rarely seen ever. Especially to Dipper. "Right on the money kiddo! Don't be late again either, I'll dock your check next time!" He simply rolled his eyes at the remark and went out the door. Dipper didn't have a car, but his apartment wasn't far. He liked to walk anyways, unless it was raining, in which case he'd usually attempt to wait it out or flag down one of the rare taxi's of his town, Gravity Falls. Today was not a bad day however. Even though he had worked a full shift, the sun was still in sight. After all, it was still the summer, and so the day only seemed to drag on.

A cool wind blessed his heated skin as he opened the door to his apartment complex. Dipper's room was on the third level, allowing him to a window and a broken air vent that the building never seemed to fix. Not that he complained. He usually preferred natural air over synthetic breezes. Regardless, it did prove to be a chore when the wind kicked up and he had papers sprawled about one of his three rooms. As if it were an innate behavior, Dipper fluently unlocked and opened the door to his section of the apartment complex. It was just how he had left it except there was a disturbing feeling that remained from outside.

The wind.

Immediately, Dipper ran to his bedroom and found his window open. He had NOT left that open when he left. "Oh no..." The boy muttered quietly as he looked around. None of the papers were there...

No. They were stacked neatly on his desk. In fact, his entire room seemed to be clean. His heart rate began to increase. Someone had definitely been here with the intention of finding something, stealing something, or cleaning his room. Dipper almost began to hope that it was just the last one as he looked about the room. His journals were still there, everything was still in them, and none of his books or papers had been stolen. What was happening? Who just breaks into a room, cleans it, and then leaves? It occurred to Dipper that they may have looked over his notes, but he also began to realize that people who didn't steal and just looked usually did it in a stealthy way. The cleanliness of his room clearly said that someone had been here. Maybe they wanted him to know?

Dipper heaved a sigh and considered calling the authorities. They had cleaned his room, so no doubt some form of DNA was left behind during the process. He could get someone to investigate it maybe. He moved over to his bed and threw himself down, rolling over onto his back before feeling a strange crinkling under him. "Did they leave something behind?" He wondered allowed to himself. Dipper moved and lifted up his covers on his bed.

Square in the middle of his bed sat a now slightly bent letter. There was a bright yellow wax insignia holding the letter shut. The paper seemed thick and rough, and it took him a moment to realize that there were soft gold strands running through the paper. If those were real, then the person who had cleaned him room definitely had some class. Shit. If they were rich, then Dipper would have some real trouble on his hands. He still didn't know why they'd done it.

Hopefully the letter might shine some light on it...

_This is the official welcome letter of Mindscape! Now that you know who we are and what we do- be prepared to face eminent death and crisis! We have accepted you into our dysfunctional little family and we hope you'll be joining us soon!_

The letter ended there- or at least, it went on. For whatever reason however, the last parts of the statement were marked out with a black marker. It still smelled like sharpie residue. Dipper's eyes shifted down towards the rushed but extremely neat handwriting below the typed portion. Whoever had left the message had deliberately tried to contact him personally if they decided to cut out some generic message in the invite and add their own personal section. He read on.

 _Dipper Pines- I think it's ironic that you're investigating at this time!_ Ironic? Was this person alluding Ford? _However, I'm afraid to say that I don't think your particular background is going to make us look any better! You are the product of a psychopath after all! Luckily for you- I like to enjoy the discomfort of other human beings and the disapproval of others. So to make a long story short, I'm going to murder some small animals tonight and hang out near the location below at midnight on the 21st of this month to officially add you into the family! Meet you there Pines!_

And that was that. Below the message was a series of numbers that Dipper once again sighed at. More codes. He couldn't even figure out that other one! He fell back onto the bed and instantly crammed the letter under his pillow. This was not going to get to him; he couldn't let it. A single letter, and Dipper already knew that this was his last and only chance to contact Mindscape. Ford... Dipper may finally find him!

"Okay Dipper..." He raised his wrist and saw the date on his watch. A week. Six days, to be exact. "Just manage your time... Call up Stan and tell him you'll be missing work..."

A sadness passed his eyes. Guilt flooded his features as he realized how horrible that thought was. Stan wanted him at work. Today he'd even shown his _emotions_ to Dipper, something nearly _unheard_ of! Of course it wasn't in Dipper's best interests to stay. If he decided to work for the rest of the week like Stan wanted him to, then he'd miss his one shot at finding Ford because he wouldn't be able to solve the damn puzzle! For a brief instant it occurred to Dipper that he could just _tell_ his grunkle about the letter and how urgent it was. That would only make it worse though, Dipper thought. The older would wave it off as another crazy accident like he always did and he'd probably scold his nephew for believing it. Not to mention he'd probably figure everything Dipper said today was all fake. Staying at home however and attempting to figure out what was happening wouldn't slide either. Neither would faking illness, seeing how Dipper was horrible at acting sick and his grunkle would most likely get Mabel to look over him on Skype. Normally he wouldn't mind that, but Mabel would probably figure it out, and then he'd be stuck lying, which was something he really wasn't good at.

"I guess researching will have to wait then." Dipper grumbled to himself before sitting up and plopping into his desk chair. He grabbed for his notes and pushed open his lap top. "Time to decipher these codes."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper joins Mindscape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to just upload it all in one go -w- aslo, heads up, idk how long the chapters will be XD so they'll just vary depending on plot

"No, no, NO!"

A yellow sheet of scrap paper was thrown a pitiful distance away. Judging by the short foot it traveled, one could only assume that Dipper was the offender of processed trees. "UGH!" The man growled furiously. Four days. Four days turned up nothing. This ridiculous code that Dipper found lying upon his bed, among other things, was practically unsolvable! Several books lay scattered around the floor of his apartment, except these were solely on the solving of codes and contained number-word combinations. With the amount of time Dipper had spent searching through these books, it was very possible that he'd gone through every option, which was a feat that could only be accomplished by endless hours of research. Ninety-six hours of endless work, and not a drop of sleep; Dipper was beginning to wonder if he could sustain this. It's not as if he were sleeping much already before this, but he'd only grown used to being deprived of about two-thirds of his night. Only very few times did Dipper stay up for the entire night without a single nap during the day. Now that he was living off of zero seconds of sleep, it was much more overwhelming.

Two more days till he had to meet with this mysterious person, and yet he was no closer to reaching the conclusion. Why'd they have to turn everything into such a convoluted code?! It infuriated Dipper to no end. He couldn't do this. With all the built in stress and guilt and burden he'd been cursed with... the boy considered it a miracle it'd taken him this long to even consider quitting. A heavy sigh erupted from his lips. It'd do him no good to dig himself further into a hole of misery. Stan's life is on the line. That's right.

After a few moments of reassuring himself of this, Dipper returned to his nearly empty notebook. He'd surprisingly found time to go grab groceries. In fact, that was the first thing he'd done after he began to plan the rest of his week. His fridge was practically overflowing at the moment with this week's pre-made meals. All of them were microwave, and nearly all of them were ramen noodles. Not the healthiest choice, but it was quick, cheap, and his money earned at the Shack could buy him it. The Shack. At least he didn't have to be there for another-

* * *

Well. His researching session was cut short by the painfully loud alarm by his bed; something previously meant to wake him up. Now it only served as an annoying reminder of where he'd have to be in the next thirty minutes. Dipper sighed heavily as he observed what was beyond the counter. Children and others bounded around the shop noisily. Normally it wasn't something Dipper would mind, but after this entire ordeal began, Dipper found himself becoming increasingly sensitive to sound. Every time one of the customers would shout or say just about anything, a splitting headache would make his temple ring in pain. He quickly decided that it had something to do with him living off a sickening amount of sodium and the constant silence he surrounded himself with after work. At least no one was bothering him personally.

"Hey moron!" His tired eyes rose up at the sound of someone calling out to him. A frown found its way onto his lips. Of course. It must be one of the little boys that belonged to a touristy-looking family near the back of the shop. The kid looked like an absolute brat, and the rising irritation in Dipper only served to make the younger seem even more annoying. "What is it?" He practically hissed. The little boy smirked something horrible and lifted his hand, a small, wooden rubber band gun resting in his grip. Oh. My. Fucking. God-

Every single cowboy in the West had no beef on this kid. Bulls eye. Dead in between his eyes balls. A stinging pain shot through Dipper's temple, causing him to flick his head back upon impact.

Any other day Dipper would've simply let the child walk away. He may grumble a few curses, but that would be the end of it. It wasn't in his nature to bully children just because they were being rowdy punks; no matter how annoying it may have been. However, today was completely different. Dipper was tired, he had an awful headache, and he was entirely too stressed to let anyone get on his nerves like this. A growl escaped his throat.

His next moves may as well be considered his worst in the past decade. Dipper rounded the counter and shoved the kid back, surprisingly making him stumble. "Watch it, kid!" Dipper spat. It was sickening to himself how he was letting himself get riled up over something so stupid. Regardless, the kid began to cry and wail, his still remaining smirk telling Dipper he was just faking it. All eyes in the store turned towards him disapprovingly. His grunkle walked out from the storeroom and saw the scene.

"What? Dipper-" That's when Stan realized something had happened. Dipper knew he had to explain, but when his eyes returned back to where the kid had been standing, he was gone. The other man didn't really understand the situation, so he did the most surprising thing Dipper had seen him do in all of his life: shoo out the customers without collecting their wallets.

All of the people left, begrudgingly. Lots of them shot Dipper dirty looks that made him look down at the floor in shame. He felt too tired to be bothered by this, but he was anyways. It wasn't fair! "Dipper, what's going on?" His grunkle approached him, a not-so-helpful hand landing on his shoulder. The least Stan could do was try to unravel all the tension that'd been bothering his nephew as of late. Dipper looked away and growled out in frustration. "A stupid kid-"

"No." His grunkle interrupted with him. "What has been going on with you this week? You've been acting up, you look like you haven't slept at all, and you're constantly muttering about some supernatural stuff and codes!" The older knew where this was going. Dipper knew it too. Stan was once again suspicious of his nephew returning back to the obsessive path that he had truly never left. It was miracle that Stan had only just begun to notice it; even though this week had been the worst Dipper had had in quite a while. This was only going to get worse, so Dipper attempted to put a stop to it before a the inescapable fight broke out. "Grunkle Stan... it's nothing important-"

"Damn right it's important!" Stan's voice rose, "This isn't like you Dipper! The kid I know wouldn't be as wounded up as you are now over something unimportant! So I want you to tell me _exactly_ what's been happening." Anger bubbled up in the young man. He wanted to tell him, just to be done with it. Dipper could just leave and never see Stan till this mess was all over. Then he'd _thank_ him for working himself to the bone to find Ford. With his uncle back, Dipper would be able to achieve so much more, and the world would praise his lineage. Those who hadn't would regret their ignorance.

_This isn't like you, Dipper_

He balled his fist up and stepped back from Stan, the hand leaving his shoulder. "I know where Ford is, Stan." A voice unlike Dipper's filled the room. It was angry, and filled with grief. Conflicting feelings crossed his eyes. Hope. Regret. Betrayal. Stan fell silent, his mouth drawn into a tight line. Distaste from those few words flicking across his expression. After a minute or so of silence, the older man spoke. "Dipper. I know you miss Ford, and I do to, but you have to let it go. He's _dead_ Dipper. He won't come back. The sooner you put your grief and his obsession behind, the better it'll be for the family."

That was easily the worst possible thing Stan could've said to Dipper. "He may still be alive, Stan!" He held out his hand, gesturing towards the door. "Ford is out there somewhere and I have ONE opportunity to find out where he is. Even if he's gone... at least we'll know Stan! I can't go on knowing that Ford is still out there and we have done nothing to figure out if he's even dead or not! You're too caught up with keeping our family clean of him to even try!"

His words stung Stan beyond all else. He didn't know what Dipper could possibly be referring to as his chance to find Ford, but the words remained as poisonous and violent as they were intended to be. It showed him something. This wasn't the Dipper who said he wanted to take over the Shack. That Dipper wasn't even real, was he? "Fine!" The owner of the Mystery Shack exclaimed. "Go and waste your life for a lost cause, kid! Here's my advice for that: good luck finding all the answers in those fucking journals, because I'm not helping you anymore. Dipper, YOU'RE FIRED!" ...

So that was it, huh? Finally Stan had realized how little his nephew really cared for leaving the past behind. Dipper _did_ care, and what he'd give to make everyone else see that his actions had purpose. He could make them great again. "I didn't need your help anyways Stan." Dipper grumbled before storming out of the building. The door slammed behind him, filling the Shack with only the sound of rattling wood upon impact.

* * *

Clutter surrounded him once again. Every passing second only seemed to add to the tossed aside papers and ideas. Nothing was working! "ARGH!" A growl erupted from Dipper's throat, tearing through the unused canal and making it come out as a thick croak. It'd been a two days since the beginning of unemployment. He hadn't answered any calls from anyone, nor did he pay attention to who they were from. His phone lay on the other side of the room, cracked after being thrown. It was off and mostly likely damaged internally. Dipper didn't care. He didn't mind everyone forgetting about him and giving him the solitude he desired. The loneliness would be warmly welcomed after he officially failed this code and his uncle.

Today. This was all he had left. No sleep, no food, no interaction with the world... you'd figure Dipper would be pretty focused on his work. After all, he was used to the sweet solitude he usually received when he got home. Yet he was all but focused. Stan. Ford. Mabel. His few but beloved friends. He could only think of their attitude towards him right now. Stan no doubt told the whole lot of them what had happened. They were probably sickened by how haunted Dipper was with the supernatural. That's what they were thinking after all. Stan probably figured that this all led back to the concept that he was engrossed with mysteries; but Dipper didn't want that anymore.

He wanted Ford. He wanted his uncle back. If he could have him rather than all the treasures and mysteries in the world; then Dipper would take Ford over it all. That's how much he wanted this. If Ford were back then there would be no reason for him to work alone or to burden himself with all around him.

_This isn't like you, Dipper_

Oh but it is. Why isn't it like _you_ to go to the very end to save your own brother!

_Go and waste your life_

I'm not. I'm going to spend the rest of my life searching for something far beyond the importance of reputation: family.

_Good luck finding all the answer in those fucking journals_

They're all I need.

The journals are all I need; they are Ford. Ford had all the answers in his journals.

Journals.

Answers.

"Wait!" Dipper suddenly exclaimed. "Why didn't I realize this sooner?" He bolted up off of the floor from where he sat and hastily grabbed all three of the notebooks he possessed. There _had_ to be something in here. Ford was a part of this group, was he not? Or... well it was possibility that he just knew them. Dipper wouldn't get any closer to figuring that one out unless he found the code translator however. Finally, in the second journal he found the decoder. "Yes! This is it!"

4-16-19 12-9-22-22-25

THE LOBBY

That was it! The location! But... wait a second...

_I'm going to murder some small animals tonight and hang out near the location below at midnight on the 21st of this month_

Location below.

The lobby below his room.

Despite the clear mockery in the letter, Dipper couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across his face. He did it! Now he knew where he could find this mystery person- and he only had an hour left. That should be plenty of time!

The boy bolted up and instantly began to pull on some decent attire. He wore his normal gray hoodie and jeans, fully prepared to go into stealth mode to avoid unwanted eyes. That was probably just him being a little too in the moment however. This guy probably wasn't wanted or anything, although he could be arrested for breaking and entering. Dipper pulled on his pine tree cap and looked over his room one last time. Everything was locked, all his books and notes were shoved under his dresser, and the lights were on. "Perfect."

* * *

 _Two days earlier_...

"He's frustrated with the code, Bill." A small boy informed his superior. This was the same boy who had decided to dead eye Dipper with a rubber band. He was a newer recruit of Mindscape, and the youngest. "Haha! That kid is overthinking it! Nice work on the shot though, Teeth." Bill praised the younger with a smirk upon his lips. They were both in his small apartment where he directed most of his operations. It's not like they had the funds to have some lavish building dedicated to debauchery.

Or well. They did. Bill did. His family owned a bar chain that was extremely popular. Some of his goons, including Teeth would hang around there. He wouldn't use his fortune however to fund his very own facility. That money was meant for someone else.

"He'll figure it out sooner or later! Sixer knows _all_ of my codes." Teeth frowned at the older. Not everyone in Mindscape approved of the close relationship Bill had with "Sixer". That was Ford's code name, just how Teeth was his, and Cipher remained Bill's. Regardless, it was painfully obvious to the rest of the organization how much Bill trusted Ford. The feeling was mutual naturally. Ford trusted Bill with his life on every adventure they ever took part of together. Their partnership was solely business however. Ford was keen on keeping it that way, but Bill would occasionally tease him and make remarks that could be considered anything _but_ business. Not that he could really stop Bill. The man was far more powerful and influential than Ford could ever be, though equally as intelligent. That's why Bill had liked him so much. He wasn't like the ignorant flesh sacks he surrounded himself with everyday. An equal, although an equal that could overpower him if Bill slipped up.

Teeth pursed his lips in a childish manner. He was a child after all. What was he again? Twelve? Surely not so young that he couldn't yet pull a trigger, because that kid could pull a trigger better than any man or woman on this godforsaken planet. "I don't think you should trust him." Teeth said, his voice small but Bill could tell he was speaking for most of the group. A daring move at that. The blonde narrowed his eyes down at his subordinate dangerously. "I don't trust anyone, kid." The comment made Teeth look away, hair falling into his face slightly. His red hair, light blue eyes and freckles made him the perfect ginger. A demon as some would call him jokingly. It was one of the things that intrigued Bill. Teeth was monstrous when the time was right, and his appearance only made him more so. "You trusted Sixer..." He grumbled in barely a whisper. It was clear that Teeth knew he was overstepping his bounds. Punishments from questioning Bill's choices were not entirely unheard of. The man made sure of that.

If gold could be lit aflame, then they it resemble Bill's eye. "What was that, kid?" He demanded, standing up from his chair to look at Teeth. Everyone in Mindscape knew that his tempers were the worst; usually leading to someone getting terribly injured. "Because I know I _just_ said that I don't trust _anyone_." Slowly and menacingly he approached Teeth. The younger backed away fearfully. Bill could squash him in the worst of ways. Teeth wouldn't shoot him, and even if he would, he couldn't. He didn't have a gun on him. Cipher usually made sure that whenever one of his subordinates visited that they discarded all weapons at the front. Teeth hadn't even brought anything.

"It-It was nothing Master Cipher..." Teeth finally said after being backed into a wall. His fingers clawed at the paint in worry. That was it. Cipher was finally going to make him an example to the rest. The ginger should've realized that changing Bill's mind wasn't going to work. His word was law, and it _never_ changed. Bill was directly in front of Teeth now. The younger boy shut his eyes tight, prepared for a beating or whatever the other would do to him. Instead, he felt a hand land on his shoulder and a chuckle escaped Bill's lip. "Good choice. Now head on back home, kid. Meet me back here on the sixth day. You'll be helping me cut down a pine tree!"

* * *

It only took Dipper a moment for him to leave his apartment room and head down to the lobby. Empty. Nothing he hadn't expected. After all, he was an hour early. However, he wanted to make sure that he didn't miss this mystery person.

Ten minutes into his wait, Dipper opted to break out his journal. He brought Journal Number 2 with him. Now that he knew how to crack Mindscape's codes, he figured he may as well decode the ones he couldn't before. He was relieved to find that even the codes involving strange and unknown symbols could be translated with the journal. There was no longer a doubt in his mind that Ford had some large role in Mindscape. How else would he figure out all their secrets? It saddened him slightly that there were no entries on the secret society, but he figured Ford wouldn't write them down if he was keen on keeping them secret. More often than not, Dipper would leave him journals in some place while he roamed. The chance that someone would steal his journals was too great to be leaving classified information written down.

"Kid," said a voice in front of him. Dipper was sitting on one of the waiting chairs in the lobby, his cracked phone in his hand. It wasn't entirely broken apparently. There was a wicked crack across the screen though. Nothing he wouldn't be able to fix if he found time to. The brunette looked up towards the voice and found a very ugly man standing in front of him. His eyes were... bugged. Like a pug. Silently he wondered if he was blind, but he was clearly looking directly at Dipper. Was this the man who left the note? "Y-Yeah?" He stuttered. The guy may be blind or have some deformation, but he was buff and much bigger than Dipper. He was clearly some form of muscle. "I've been requested to escort you to the meeting place."

Oh so it wasn't here. "Are you from Mindscape?" Dipper asked, still unsure whether or not he should trust this man. It was entirely unlikely that this man was from anywhere else, but it there was always the possibility he was simply trying to lure Dipper into some unknown place for who knows what. Nothing good, he decided. "You'll find out." Was his reply before he promptly walked out.

Was that a test? Dipper figured it was now or never that he follow. If he followed, he way find his uncle or be abducted. If not, then he'd be safe, but never find Ford. Realizing that he didn't have much to return to anyways, Dipper followed. He was confident that this guy was taking him to the right place.

He followed silently behind. Journal 2 was tucked safely in the inside pocket of his hoodie. Dipper didn't feel safe enough bringing it out with someone so near. Especially this guy. "I'm Dipper, by the way. What's your name?" Dipper said after about fifteen minutes of silent walking. It was getting too awkward even for the quiet boy.

The bigger man didn't glance back, nor did he reply till they arrived at a gravel driveway. "8-ball." He replied while Dipper gawked at the location, not even paying attention to him anymore.

Why. Why were they here? The gravel, if not the location, easily gave away where this meeting place was at. Even the familiar scent of pine trees was enough to inform Dipper.

Why were they at Ford's house? "Why-" Dipper turned around, only to find that 8-ball had vanished. He shuddered. There was something weird about this. Mindscape had to have known that this was Ford's house. Why else would he be here? Was the leader of Mindscape here? Was there something here that they wanted to show him?

The house was empty. Or rather, untouched would be a better word for the state of the building. For whatever reason, the Pine's family had refused to sell or destroy the location. Dipper never knew why, since they so annoyingly tried to push all evidence of being related to Ford away. It was a tabby house however, and he could imagine whoever moved into it would be a poorer family. The house was made entirely of logs that his uncle had cut down in the surrounding land. Ford made this place nearly all by himself, with the exception of a few construction machines.

There were so many memories here. Dipper would come here during the summer to hang out with Ford, while working the Mystery Shack part time. Him, Mabel, and his other summer friends would have adventures in these long forgotten woods surrounding the town. Sometimes Ford would take Dipper out alone to go spy on strange creatures that inhabited the surrounding area. Ford had once claimed that the supernatural liked to be around Gravity Falls, which he never truly explained to Dipper. Whenever he asked, Ford would always give him the same excuse. "You're too young to understand." He was, of course, very young at the time. Only about eleven or twelve. Even as the top of his class, Dipper still seemed to struggle understanding the scientific concepts his uncle devised. Not that he minded. Ford had promised him to make him his apprentice when he was of age to start exploring more dangerous regions of the world.

That never happened though. Dipper sighed heavily and walked forward into the abandoned land. He could walk this gravel road with his eyes closed, he'd been down it so many times. Alone, with Mabel, or with the rest of his friends. Now he was alone and this time; he wasn't awaiting adventure. He was awaiting the unknown, which was much more frightening. The grim image of Ford's old home shifted out of the trees. There it was. Plants and other things had grown over the shack-looking building. The lights weren't on, and the smell of musk and rotting wood invaded his senses. While the Pine's family still owned the deed to the land and the house, none of them had ever returned to this place. No wonder it was in such horrible condition.

Dipper did his best to ignore the sickening smell and went to the door. His hand lingered on the handle a little more than should've been considered safe. The amount of gunk and shards of metal couldn't be good for his skin. Regardless, he gave it a twist and found that it was indeed open. He let out a breath of relief. It'd be much worse if he had to break in or if he to knock. Mostly because then he'd have to wait longer and by then he'd probably be much more worried about what was inside.

As soon as his foot made contact with wood, the whole house seemed to shudder. The sound caused him to jump slightly. He'd have to be careful. Falling through the floor while meeting a mysterious person could only be bad. At least he'd be able to hear anyone coming towards him. He took another step in and thankfully found that the floor didn't give. "H-Hello? Mindscape? Uh, I'm Dipper Pines!" Dipper couldn't hide the nervousness in his voice. Why hadn't he brought a weapon? He didn't own any guns, but a knife or just anything else would make him feel more secure right now.

He took a few more steps in before he felt the cold of metal against his back. "Empty your pockets. Give me your name, birth date, phone number and apartment room number." Said a young voice behind him. The childish tone rung a bell in Dipper's head. Where had he heard that before? "Do it moron."

... The kid from the shop.

It was the same voice, but why? He did as he was told and emptied his pockets of his journal, phone, and pen. There were several scrap pieces of paper in his pocket, all of them irrelevant. However the kid seemed more interested in the journal. He kicked the notebook aside. "Go on." He urged, pressing the gun further into his back. "Dipper Pines, August 31st, 1999, 541-512-1220, room 442." He rambled out, fear welling up in his stomach. It may be a kid behind him, but a kid with a gun was just as terrifying as any person with a gun. And if he could shoot just as well with this thing as that rubber band gun, then Dipper was in no position to be struggling.

A snicker escaped the younger's lips. He took the gun off of Dipper's back, but the older boy knew it was still aimed at him. "Go and see the boss in the attic. You better know where that is." The Pines twin glanced back. It was the kid no doubt, the same red hair was poking out through his little hoodie. As soon as the kid noticed that Dipper had seen him, he pointed the pistol he had in his hands at the spot where he'd hit Dipper in the forehead. Dipper quickly averted his gaze and walked up the creaking stairs.

* * *

Teeth could only chuckle at Dipper's jumpy personality. He reminded him of a deer. Easily startled, but interesting to watch. Even without his great uncle being Ford, Teeth could see why Cipher had taken such an interest in him. He found himself waiting for Pines to do something different. Put up a fight maybe. It'd be fun to watch Cipher silence his rebellion.

It didn't seem like he was going to do anything though. With the way he complied to being stripped down like that, Teeth figured he wasn't looking for any trouble. Only Cipher really knew what he was after. Although Teeth had some ideas. Power probably, he had decided. Something to keep him busy maybe. Dipper didn't have anything else to do, and Teeth knew since he'd stuck around to see Dipper get fired. He was probably looking for purpose; something they could supply easily. It wasn't any of his business though. In fact, his work here was done. Bill hadn't even asked him to stick around. He just wanted him to empty his pockets so that there would be less trouble, if there was any.

He began to make his way out of the house, but before he left, his foot kicked the discarded journal and phone. Teeth squatted down and inspected them. The boss would probably want these for later, he thought to himself. It... couldn't hurt to look through them though, before he gave them up, right? Teeth picked the two items up and walked out of the house. He'd wait back at Cipher's place, since the Cipher family bar was already closed up.

* * *

The fact that the stairs seemed to crunch under his malnourished body made Dipper a bit wary. He'd heard the kid leave after he'd reached halfway up the steps, and Dipper was honestly not wanting to be rescued by the very person he was supposed to meet if he fell through the boards. As soon as he reached the second floor of the building he let out a breath of relief. This place was so old, but it was just as familiar.

A feeling of nostalgia swam around in his stomach. All the adventures that had taken place in this house. All the shenanigans. This was where he childhood was. "Ah!" The boy shrieked as a rodent scurrying across his foot made him jump. Right. Now is not the time for remembering. Dipper turned his attention back to the way to the attic room. Just another flight of stairs. As he began to walk up the even more rotten steps, he realized that there were no sounds coming from the attic room. If someone was really up there, then they had to be completely still. No doubt the attic room experienced the worst of water damage and rotting judging by the shape of these stairs.

Right as he reached the upper steps, he was able to peer past the stair guard.

Blonde hair. Glittering gold eyes that glinted blue in the open red stained window. He sat on the window seat, staring over a pair of broken glasses. Dipper's eyes widened.

They were Ford's glasses.

And the man holding them was...

... Bill Cipher.

"What." It was the only thing he could manage. This was the cocky guy he saw in the Mystery Shack at the beginning of his torturous week. "Don't be so surpised, kid! I gave you way too many hints for this to be a surprise. The hints were worth their weight in gold." A diabolical laugh filled the room. Gold? Dipper thought for a moment. Bill had said something about gold... hadn't he...

_I'll smell you later Pinetree! Buy some gold- you'll need it!_

Then the website...

_Reality is an illusion. The universe is a hologram. Buy gold! Bye!_

It was beginning to annoy Dipper how painfully oblivious he'd been this entire time.

Bill smirked at him playfully and glanced at Dipper's pulled out pockets. "Teeth got you good, didn't he? How'd it feel to be robbed Pinetree? Because that attitude you've got there is an open invitation to every single thug in the world. I bet you left your wallet downstairs too!"

Dipper hadn't even realized he'd left his stuff downstairs. How could he focus on that with a gun pointed at his face?! "Why are you here Bill?" He asked with clenched teeth. Was this a joke? This was just some random guy he met in the shop! Was this _really_ the idiot who wanted to meet him?

"Woah! No need to be so venomous Pinetree! I just wanted to welcome you into _my_ Mindscape, give you the low down... maybe make a few _deals_." Deals. That single word alone sent a shiver down Dipper's body, and he had no idea why. Maybe it was because Bill looked like the sorta guy you'd ask for money and then he'd ask for your fingers in return. He also looks like he would _use_ the fingers in some horrific way. "Deals?" Dipper asked, although he wasn't quite sure he wanted to know. If Bill wasn't going to ask for his fingers, then Dipper would attempt to at least reason with him into giving information about his uncle. He'd have to be smart about it since Bill didn't look entirely stupid. Not to mention the fact that "my Mindscape" indicated Bill was the leader of this organization. He was intelligent enough to run a large group of people, which is something that shouldn't be overlooked.

The blonde stood up from his spot on the window seat and twirled around the glasses that had obviously belonged to Ford. Bill knew Dipper knew. He was using it.

_He knows what you want..._

"Of course, kid! I mean, what's the point of dragging you out into a dingy little house if I'm not going to make the most of it, right?" His charming voice informed Dipper. "I'm sure you'll benefit as well!" Him? Benefit? Dipper knew exactly what Bill had in mind. It should've been clear from the start. He was going to use Dipper in some way, then in return give him information. In all honesty though, it should've been expected. He _was_ originally invited here to officially join Mindscape. Over the past few days however, he realized he never really wanted to join. Not even for the benefits of discovery. When he realized this it was about the same time he realized all he wanted was to find his uncle. He should've expected that Bill would tempt him into joining by hanging evidence of Ford being alive in his face. Those glasses.

Dipper crossed his arms and inspected the other. He didn't know if he should trust this guy. Cipher obviously had some goons working for him that didn't mind getting their hands dirty. The website didn't show much of it, but it hinted the trouble and debauchery that they had caused. Not to mention Dipper literally walked in with a gun pressed to his back. Bill was a criminal. Just threatening him like that with a gun was considered assault! "What do you want from me?" The brunette asked, wariness in his voice although he attempted to sound unafraid. Bill may have a gun, a knife, or some other weapon of murder. He probably had some sort of attack strategy up his sleeve, but Dipper had nothing. He had to tread carefully.

A disturbingly wicked smirk spread across his impish face. "Well that's easy Pinetree! I just want you to help me with a little... project, I've been working on. I assume you've heard of the fountain of youth?" Dipper nodded. Mindscape had made frequent mentions of the relic on their site. Was it really their largest project? And what did Dipper have to offer that would make their dream a reality? "Of course you do! Then you know what it is and where it's supected to be located. You should've also figured out that I'm wanting to find it. And that is where you come in, kid! I need you, Dipper Pines, to help me find it."

Not much of a surprise now that Dipper had found himself thinking more about it. "What do I get in return?" Dipper asked, although he knew the answer. What he hadn't expected was the way Bill Cipher answered his question.

"You'll find ol' Fordsy on the way."

...

The statement alone sent bells ringing all inside Dipper's head. Ford. Bill was promising that they would find him. Him? Alive? Dead? His body? What would they find of Ford? Maybe a deranged man who'd lost his mind. His old uncle...

"I-Is my uncle alive?" He furthered. Dipper needed more than what was said! He needed proof, evidence, _anything_! Something that could give him more hope rather than doubt. Bill tutted. "Now now Pinetree! That's not very fair~ I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough though. As for now... Is that a deal?" The blonde outstretched his tattooed and tanned hand to Dipper for the taking. He couldn't help but wonder what those hands had taken from people. Money, family... lives...

Wickedly talented hands found another, more delicate set grasping them. Different emotions flicked through each of their eyes. Golden eyes look aflame, absolutely gleeful about what could happen and what was happening. However large brown orbs never flitted away from the interlocked hands, confused and scared. The unknown was something that had always plagued Dipper, and this surely wasn't making it any more clear.

The brunette took a step back and found a broken pair of glasses in his palm. Ford...

"Welcome to Mindscape, kid."

* * *

If any night during the life of Dipper Pines required the pleasure of drinking; it was surely tonight. Dipper, a not very refined person, sipped on a lukewarm bottle of beer as he scrolled through page after page concerning the Fountain of Youth. His mind wasn't necessarily focused on the words, but more so on the pictures. It wasn't a lie that Dipper couldn't hold his alcohol whatsoever. Even Mabel knew this and usually tried to dissuade her brother from drinking at parties she'd sometimes attend with Pacifica; who was a summer friend that Mabel had somehow managed to keep contact with over the years. Those were the only times he had ever drunk alcohol outside of his home. However beer never really intoxicated Dipper unless he was actually determined to get drunk off of it. It was something his grunkle and him had so often that it really didn't affect him. Other beverages were an entirely different story.

He wasn't all too focused though. Dipper's mind occasionally wandered from the pictures to thoughts of Bill. The man had informed him that their meeting place would be at Ford's home, and that whenever he required a meeting he'd just message Bill over email. The idea was a little odd to Dipper however. After all, Bill Cipher was _supposed_ to be a leader of a secret organization. It didn't settle with him correctly how he was so chill with passing out his email and private information. Well, nothing too private. Dipper didn't know where the man truly lived, nor did he have any clue about his family. His attire in the attic gave him the impression that Bill wasn't too well off, but he was well kept. His hair was nearly flawless...

For once in his life, Dipper found himself patting down his messy hair. It was soft and an average hue of brown, but it was ruffled in every angle and never could be put down. Sometimes, Dipper liked to think of it as some untamed beast. The thought brought a chuckle through his lips. Laughing alone. Again. Silently he pondered the next time he'd be able to face his family. No doubt after he got Ford back. Still, he found himself missing the happy laugh of his sister and the constant harassment of Stan.

Pathetic, he thought to himself. It has only been two days and Dipper was already feeling homesick! Maybe he should go back and apologize to his grunkle. Stan would probably refuse it, saying that he was too corrupt by idealism to belong. Maybe he was right. No. He's wrong. What Dipper is doing _is_ right! It's not corrupt at all! In fact, it's chilvarious, heroic, _helpful_! Better than anything his grunkle could do in a lifetime! Anything he _would_ do, Dipper wanted to add.

A yawn filled the room. Dipper blinked away his sleep and looked at the tiny numbers at the bottom left of his computer screen. It was almost three in the morning. The meeting hadn't taken that long of course, but Dipper had been up celebrating and relaxing for most of that time. He took one last glance at the pictures depicting the relic and shut his laptop.

Now was not the time for that. He needed rest, _badly_. And rest well-deserved. Dipper pulled off his clothes, once again finding himself leaving the window open to let some cool air in. The heating unit was down again. Once stripped bare of everything but his boxers, Dipper shut the lights off in his room and snuggled into his sheets.

He hoped to dream of treasure and finding his missing uncle.

"I'll find you Ford..." Dipper Pines murmured quietly, the glasses of Ford resting on his desk, before shutting his eyes and falling into the most satisfying slumber he'd had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a review ;w;


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm just going to be introducing the Mindscape family, and I'll post the roles of everyone at the very end since I don't really mention it much in this chapter

The next month to come could only have been described as the start of a new chapter. Dipper Pines was finally going back to the life he had before his Great Uncle Ford died years ago. Stress was soon washed away by relief and general happiness.

After a week of being in Mindscape, he found himself believing without a doubt that Ford was alive. The moment when he finally accepted the idea that his uncle wasn't truly dead may have as well solved his issues. No more overworking. No more starving. Dipper had actually managed to pack on about five pounds. In the first month no less! His body was starting to lose its pale glow, much to Dipper's relief. He was drinking more water and eating more home cooked meals. This change in lifestyle was marked as a much needed improvement by Dipper.

Not to mention Dipper felt like he had more purpose than ever before. Prior to when he was recruited, the boy _did_ feel like he had extraordinary purpose; but nothing quite like this. Now he had a set goal and knew _exactly_ what he wanted. He had help too. Bill Cipher and his little family. Dipper had yet to meet the others. Teeth. 8-Ball, as well. Bill hadn't mentioned all of their names, but he did mention that none of them would be called by their true names. Evidently the leader of Mindscape was the only one who wasn't concerned if his name was thrown around within the small group. It seemed a little out of the ordinary to Dipper. After all, shouldn't his name be kept the most secret?

After a couple of weeks however, he began to stop questioning Mindscape's methods. Even during the first days it became apparent that they ran their operations tactfully but also... spastically. Bill's personality surely took part in this. The man was practically mad! Dipper first noticed this after he found information about the Fountain of Youth in his journal. He had emailed his superior, and since then they've been meeting practically every day to review over notes. However, this is when Dipper got a glimpse of what Bill Cipher was truly like.

The fourth or fifth time that they met, Bill had brought in a pig heart and insisted that they dissect it. That night, Bill had asked the other man to do extensive research on the similarities between pigs and humans. His motives were unclear to Dipper, but just the concept of what he was doing was sick. Humans and pigs? What Bill trying to figure out the best way to kill a person?

Other occurrences like that happened throughout the month, but that one was the most gruesome. Despite his disturbing behavior, Dipper found himself actually charmed by the man. The way he talked, what he said, the gestures he performed... he couldn't help but find himself intrigued by Bill. Sure he was a bit out there in a way that was still concerning, but it's as if his personality made up for all of that. Not to mention that he was absolutely stunning when he became focused or interested in something. Bill's entire demeanor would change and that spark of intelligence he had inside him was lit aflame, turning into a roaring fire. It was magnificent.

Bill was becoming a reason for Dipper's more relaxed nature. The young man began to want to go out more often to see the leader of Mindscape. To socialize. He wanted to look better for Bill, because in his current state there was no way for him to match Bill's perfect aura. The leader of Mindscape hadn't even willed this to be so, although he did take a small amount of notice to the improvement in Dipper's health.

Keeping an eye on Dipper wasn't one of his main priorities after all. Dipper didn't seem to know his history, his family's wealth, or just about anything related to Bill besides his occupation just yet. It made him much easier to handle than Sixer. When he was in charge of Ford, Bill had to constantly stakeout by his house to see what he was doing, so that he could tell whether or not he was scheming. With Dipper however, Bill only once had to slip into his apartment. It wasn't even to spy on him. He came to drop off a few things he'd "borrowed". Teeth was waiting back at his apartment when Bill arrived home on the first day. The kid was actually scrolling down Dipper's texts with an amused smirk on his face. He was quick on snatching back the journal and the phone from him. The only thing Teeth managed to keep was Dipper's wallet, which Bill easily swiped off of him when he sent the kid off with the keys to bar so he'd be able to sleep there that night. After examining these things, Bill made it a priority to return them. It's not as if he hadn't laid eyes upon all the journals himself, and the texts Dipper received from his family only proved to be entertaining for a few minutes. The only thing he really paid an extra amount of attention to was Dipper's near empty wallet. Of course Bill had heard that Stanley had laid him off, but he didn't realize how broke he really was. He wasn't entirely broke probably. He figured that Dipper was just preserving Ford's fortune to the best of his ability, even if it meant living off of nothing to do so. It was something Bill could admire, since he liked to do similar. So he did the other a favor and filled up his once empty wallet. It was the least he could do for him considering they'd be in a long line of work for a very long time.

In any case, Bill returned the items that night without awaking the Pines boy. He'd even left a note remarking on Dipper's embarrassing choice of "lamby" boxers. The kid hadn't confronted him about it quite yet, but Bill had noticed that Dipper nearly refused to go to the bathroom during their meetings. It might have just been because the facilities in the house weren't exactly functional, but Bill liked to thing he had made the boy very uncomfortable.

"Bill?" Dipper called as he stepped into the house. In his arms were several books, and he carried a pack with even more in it. He'd been visiting the local library a lot, not that it had a whole lot to offer. Sometimes he wished that Gravity Falls had its very own college of sorts. They'd have a wider selection of books for aspiring scholars such as Dipper himself. For now, he'd just have to make do with the books his great uncle had left him and the ones found in the library. "Is he here yet..." He wondered to himself as he walked into the kitchen. Not in there. Bathroom? Bill would soil his clothes by going in there... so no. He wasn't in the living room either.

Dipper began to walk up the steps, the sounds of hushed whispering attracting his attention. Bill? He walked forward, cursing the creaking wood beneath him. The voice went quiet, and suddenly there was the sound of a telephone being flipped shut. "Bill?" Dipper called again, this time greeted with the door to Ford's office being flung open. The man in question waltzed out and frowned at Dipper. "You're early." He commented, as if Dipper's arrival was a nuisance more than anything else. His tone made Dipper a little bit wary.

At the very beginning of this, Dipper had sworn himself to stay on Bill's good side. It was one of the larger reasons he tried to ignore his odd and concerning behavior; such as murdering small animals. On the first day it was clear that Bill didn't like to be questioned, and Dipper didn't plan on questioning him at all after that. The last he needed was to lose Bill's favor. Which is why him showing any form of distaste towards Dipper made him all the more steeled and ready to suck up to Bill.

"I thought I should be." He replied. Dipper licked his lips as his mouth became dry. "I found some more books on explorers looking for the fountain." It was the best he could offer when being stared down by an almost demon-like man. Bill didn't seem very satisfied until he inspected the many books Dipper carried. "You're very useful Pinetree." He remarked after a moment more of intense glaring. The boy wondered whether or not he should thank Bill for the compliment. "So I'd advise you to not do two things. Don't meddle in my personal life, and don't doubt me. Is that clear?"

_..._

Dipper was left absolutely speechless by that sudden warning. Had Bill thought he was listening to his conversation? In truth, he had heard nothing but hushed tones and whispers. Dipper hadn't a clue as to what Bill was talking about. Obviously it was some classified bit of information he wasn't keen on letting Dipper know. He wasn't even sure if he _wanted_ to know. The man was already disturbing enough as it was. Dipper's curiosity of Bill's personal life definitely didn't outweigh his fear of what the other may do to him if he started "meddling".

He could only nod. Hopefully that'd satisfy Bill for now. The smile that formed upon his face proved his actions successful, drawing a relieved breath from Dipper. "Good choice, kid. Now!" Bill spun around and snatched Dipper's hat off of his head, placing it onto his own with a playful smile. "We've got work to do! Hows about you drop those books and we see what I've been doing today?"

Well. That ended... well. "Hey!" Dipper said, going after Bill who had his hat. He only chuckled in response and ran up the steps to the attic, "Come on, kid! There might be a tragic incident today where one of us dies, so I don't have all day!" Bill replied with equal volume of voice. The other bounded up the steps and attempted to tackle Bill to get the hat back, but fell short when he saw the incredible display in front of him.

It was only a single piece of tapestry, but a large one at that. It was splayed across the floor almost like a rug, although it seemed to be made of silk or some other luxurious fabric. Pretty old too. There was still dust lingering along the seams. It brought up the question: where did Bill find this?

"Bill-"

"Don't even ask Pinetree! Where I found this stays with me, got it?" Bill was quick to answer his question, reading it off of Dipper's expression. "Don't worry your pretty little head about the where, just ask _what_! What is this tapestry? Do you recognize the symbol?"

He inspected it further. No. He... he didn't recognize the symbol. It was two cranes, one of them bent over and the other standing tall and proud. Both of them were dark in color, nearly black, but you could see the hints of brown and earthiness. "It's... two cranes. I don't recognize it from anywhere though." It wasn't a very acute observation, and Dipper felt a little embarrassed that he couldn't offer more. Bill didn't seem unsatisfied just yet though. In fact, he seemed content that the other had gathered that much. "That's what I saw too, kid. Cranes can mean a lot of things, and cranes come from many different places. One of the things cranes are known for however is longevity, being young and beautiful."

"The Fountain of Youth..." Dipper murmured quietly. "So this... these symbols could take us right to the place where the fountain is?" His voice was laced with excitement. Only one month! It was so incredibly easy and... "Hold your horses, Pinetree!" Bill quickly intervened before he could ramble on about how they needed to find this group of people the tapestry belonged to. "Cranes can be many things, like I told you. This could have _absolutely nothing_ to do with the fountain and we could waste years looking at this thing and still not figure that out. Not to mention cranes belong to many different cultures and can mean the exact same thing." This seemed to silence most of the excitement Dipper had within him. Ugh, he cursed to himself. He needed to stop being so brash with this! Nothing was ever that easy and Dipper needed to think this whole thing out with Bill before he even stepped out on an adventure. After he calmed down, Bill decided to continue. "I think for now we should just study this symbol, determine all the possible cultures, and save that for later."

The other nodded. "Yeah. We're bound to come across another lead." It's not as if this was the only thing out there. There were probably loads of other relics ready to be studied that could give them a huge lead. A map would be the best possible case.

It made him wonder though: where _did_ Bill find this tapestry? Wherever he found it, it must have some importance. Not to mention they might have more clues to offer. Dipper set it aside for now however. Don't meddle in his affairs. Don't question him. It was too soon to already be breaking those rules. For now he'd just have to let Bill lead this situation and just follow in his wake.

"That's the spirit! Keep that up and you'll get rewarded with not dying! Maybe even a human skull if we cross one; just for you kid!" Bill chuckled, nearly manically if Dipper could describe it with one word. He laughed along nonetheless, used to Bill's consistently odd behavior. After a moment more, his laughter died out, and Bill returned Dipper's hat to him. "Alright kid. Let's decipher this flesh-made piece of carpet and then I'll take you out for something special. My treat!"

* * *

"... So you own your own bar chain?"

"Yep."

"And you're actually filthy rich."

"Don't look too much into it, kid."

"Right."

Even though Bill's sort of regal air should've given this all away to Dipper, the fact that Bill Cipher was actually a well known business man came as a shock. In all honesty, it was justified. Dipper rarely went out to drink, if not at all. Even so...

Why did Bill always make him pay for lunch-?!

_Not now Dipper_

In any case, they weren't here at the Cipher family business, Horus Bars, to simply ponder why Bill never paid the bill. Ironic, wasn't it? They were here to relax and finally meet the rest of Mindscape. Not all of them, just Bill's main goons. Evidently most of them relied on this specific bar for housing. Dipper didn't really understand how that worked, but Bill admitted that there was a dorm like area in the basement. It sounded very strange to Dipper and it more or less sounded like a very large break room or a renovated wine cellar.

The bar itself looked very... normal, to say in the least. There wasn't many bright lights or any loud music. It was a little odd and unexpected, considering it _was_ Bill who ran this place. Or so he said. Bill claimed that most of the business was run by family.

Bill led him inside through the front door. The bar was relatively empty, spare a few people. A girl and about six other guys. Majority of them were actively conversing, while several sat back and watched. 8-Ball was one of the ones sitting back. He didn't look like a huge talker, but he did answer one question with his presence: these must be Bill's subordinates.

"Hello my inter-dimensional friends!" Bill suddenly greeted the group, throwing up his hands. Only some of them bothered looking up their boss. Some of them were invested in an intense looking game of cards. What game, Dipper couldn't really tell. It was with cards with strange symbols that he couldn't quite fathom. It was probably code letters devised by Mindscape. He still needed to memorize all of them for future use.

Teeth growled in anger and threw down his hand of cards. "No fair Hector! Bill distracted me!" The young boy spat, his face red with frustration. He hadn't won a single game this entire night, which wasn't entirely uncommon. Teeth was the worst at "Red Devils". Mostly because he lacked the patience and perception to wait to call others out in the game. Hector however, more commonly known as Hectorgon, was quite the genius at playing the card game. He was a fatter man with plump lips and a thick mustache. A bowler hat sat upon his head, and he wore a suit and tie. Despite his business attire however, the man looked rough. His chin had a substantial amount of stubble and there were multiple scars lining his face. He definitely didn't look like someone you'd want to trust your money with.

"That's tough luck, kid. Betta luck next time, if you're willing to offa up some more dough." He said with a thick Jersey accent. Hector pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, puffing some smoke out. His beady eyes turned towards Bill, a smirk already playing on his lips. "Ah. Bill's back." Bill returned the smirk and walked away from Dipper, much to his dismay. He felt entirely out of place with these people. "Took you long enough to notice, Hector." He remarked, glancing back at Dipper. "None of you have even bothered saying hello to our newest member! Where are those manners I never taught you?"

The youngest member, Teeth, huffed. "I don't need to say hi to some moron." He was still mad at losing. "Why's he here anyways? He's making the place smell like pigling." A frown formed on Dipper's face, as well as a heated blush. They were making fun of him. Should've been expected, he knew he didn't belong here. He considered leaving, but a heavy arm that swung around his shoulders silenced his thoughts. Dipper looked up to spot a large man, larger than 8-Ball even, grinning down at him. A hardy laugh erupted from his lips. "He doesn't look like a little piglet! More like a deer who's just been caught in headlights. May I ask the name of our very own deer?" Despite his massive size, Dipper found himself less irritated and certainly less scared of this man. He had a jolly air about him with his slight belly and thick black beard. He had darker skin, but lighter as if he were half-white. There were several scars mounted on him, but overall he looked more like some hiker who enjoyed telling stories and going out fishing. "D-Dipper Pines." Dipper replied after a bit of staring, which only served to amuse the man further.

Bill was chuckling too. "Kid, they all know who you are." He told Dipper as he was handed a margarita by a woman with pitch black skin and dark brown eyes. She chuckled as Bill went to town with the margarita, eventually turning her gaze towards Dipper. She had thick and long dreads falling down her shoulders elegantly, and there was an intelligent glint to her eyes. "Indeed. Mister Cipher has told us much aboutchu..." Her thick Jamaican accent leered at him. She leaned over the bar, as if to get a closer look at Dipper who'd ducked under the arm of the man. Her stare tore shivers down Dipper's spine, as if she was dismembering him with her own mind and then putting him back together to form some gruesome sculpture depicting pure agony. The larger man put a hand on Dipper's shoulder, causing him to jump again. "Don't scare the boy, Pyronica! It's only his first day with us..." The fatherly and protective tone he used towards Dipper almost stunned him, but he didn't comment on it.

"Alright Xanthar," Pyronica chuckled once more and straightened herself. "I would recall however that he's put up with Mister Cipher for the past month. He can't be too fragile to accomplish that." The remark sparked interest in Bill as he looked over at their exchange and directed a flattered gesture at Pyronica playfully. "Aw shucks Pyronica! You're almost making me sound like some despicable and annoying monster! You're too kind, _truly_." This only served to make Pyronica roll her eyes and return to bar tending.

For once in this whole exchange, Dipper was about to speak up and say something but he was instead cut off with a very annoyed "Hey!" His gaze shifted towards two men running around- quite possibly chasing each other. One of them was holding a device in their hand that almost looked like a compacted bomb, while the other chased him around shouting profanities. What seemed to be the thief of this event was actually a young man, probably younger than Dipper, who was equally as skinny but taller in all respects. He had a head of messy but trimmed strawberry blonde hair and a large pair of glasses that were slipping off his nose. The grin on his face told Dipper he was having a much better time than the boy chasing him. The pursuer was much less scrawny and a lot more pudgy. He looked like the sort of kid you'd find hanging around in some parents basement playing Halo and eating Doritos. He had a round belly and fat arms, and a sort of babyish face that looked strange when contorted with frustration. There must've been a pair of glasses on his own face too, because there were red marks where the glasses would sit on his nose. However, after a few more moments of inspecting, he found the glasses on the table, nearly broken into pieces.

"C'mon mate! Lemme have a closer look at it- I've even got cat stickers for it-"

"BOMBS DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID CAT STICKERS YOU BRITISH FUCK!"

"Rude."

Xanthar moved his hand off of Dipper's shoulder, grumbling something under his breath irritably. He came up and as the skinnier man was running by, picked the man up by the arm and held him a good two feet off of the ground with ease. "Kryptos, give Paci-Fire his bomb back." Xanthar said with a deep, authoritative voice. Kryptos pouted and watched with dismay as Paci-Fire jumped up and snatched the bomb back without waiting. "Awww what? Why're you taking his side?!" Kryptos whined.

"Maybe because Paci isn't being an annoying fuck?" A voice added. A man, sitting at a table a little whiles away, with grown out dirty blonde hair and dark rings around his eyes. He looked like he was suffering from a huge hangover, but he still had flask of whiskey in his hand. "Be nice Keyhole." Bill spoke up after no one bothered denying it. If anything, Bill Cipher was the one who wanted to agree the most. "We're all family."

"He's right." Xanthar agreed and lowered Kryptos, who proceeded to glare at Paci-Fire from a distance. At this point, no one was paying all that much attention to Dipper. Occasionally, Pyronica would sneak a glance or two, but she never said anything. Dipper wondered if she knew something about Ford. By the way she spoke to Bill, it made him wonder if they had a closer relationship. The thought didn't settle in his stomach for some reason. He figured it was just because she may know something and still wouldn't tell him. Her superior probably made sure of that.

Since no one really bothered him, Dipper took to sitting on a couch in the far end of the bar. He was away from Keyhole, who looked very much asleep at this point. From this angle he got to see how truly aged this man was. He sounded nearly 30, but the wrinkles on his skin suggested 40 or 50. Not to mention the slightly grayed and frayed hair on his head. He would look great as a rogue pirate, Dipper thought. He turned his attention away from the man and instead looked at what was in his hands. Journal 3. This is where he found the information concerning the fountain. It obviously held some importance to his great uncle since there were nearly five pages dedicated solely to the artifact. All of which had been reviewed over countless times. Dipper sighed.

_There has to be more..._

Suddenly, the whole building began to shake as Kryptos started blasting music through the speakers. For a second, Dipper wondered if he was just doing it to be annoying, but everyone seemed on board with it. Well, except for Keyhole who looked like he was about to throw up, and 8-Ball who just sat back and watched. Bill and the others however were dancing like it was a rave party.

"Kryptos! Turn off the lights!" Bill shouted, glass raised in the air. The British man smirked and pulled up his phone, remotely turning off the lights from there and instead turned on the black lights attached to the ceiling. Okay, now this place was _really_ starting to look like a club. It was almost too much for Dipper. He sighed once more and looked back down at his journal, almost completely sure that he wasn't going to get any work done with this music literally shaking his organs.

And that's when he saw it.

_The fountain isn't a fountain_

_Bimini_

_The lost city_

_Fragments_

And a drawing of two cranes with a question mark beside it.

All of it was in alien-like green ink, but it was written down, clear as the day itself. Messages. Hidden messages. Was this some sort of invisible... ink...

The black lights! Dipper looked up at the ceiling. "Ford!" He exclaimed, flipping through the rest of the journal and finding that there was green ink on nearly all of the pages. Of course! How come he hadn't thought of this before? Secret messages! It was just like Ford! Oh he'd have to show Bill this-

A hand suddenly came down and snatched up the journal from Dipper's hands. Dipper looked up, getting ready to steal it back, but found golden eyes locked onto his own and stopped. "Pinetree? What're you doing missing out on the party?" He chuckled, alcohol laced in his breath. Was Bill drunk? His tone was so... soft. Calm even. Dipper blinked and shook his head. "Bill! I've found something big! You won't believe-"

A drink was thrust into Dipper's hands, and the weight on the couch shifted as Bill sat down beside him. "Forget about the journal and the fountain for a second, kid. Isn't that what we came here for, hmm? I wanted to reward my little Pinetree for doing so well this month..." Bill was definitely drunk. He was acting nice and that alone was enough to set off alarms in Dipper's brain. He had to get him back on focus! "Bill this can't wait! It's really important-"

He was cut off for the last time with a finger that was placed onto his lips. Bill was leaning on him practically, shushing him. "Dipper. You're important and words can always wait. I said that we may die today, but I don't think just yet. So enjoy the night." Bill urged him further, his tone becoming more demanding. Dipper wanted to protest, but so far that hadn't gotten anywhere closer to convincing Bill to listen. So he looked at the drink in his hand, wondering if this was the first time he'd ever drunk in a bar. And had Bill called him by his real name?

* * *

The next hours were filled with dancing bodies, giggles, a WHOLE lot of alcohol. Dipper had to hand it to Pyronica, she was an _excellent_ mixologist. He had probably returned to that counter more than five times for refills. That was the most he'd drunk in quite a long a time. Not to mention it went way past his normal limit of about, well, one drink. Maybe half a drink? As long as it wasn't beer or something he'd gotten used to. Which is wasn't. All the stuff he drank were fruity beverages that were sweet and salty on his tongue.

And boy was he wasted. By the time the party had finally died out, it was about 3:00 in the morning. What time had they even gotten there? Surely it was around 8 or 9 in the afternoon. Dipper wasn't awake enough to even register what time even he was. He was stuck in a state between being awake and being asleep. For example, he'd blink and suddenly he'd be in a different place. Almost like teleportation. It was extremely concerning, but he couldn't even worry about it.

Not that he should've.

Bill had taken the boy in after he collapsed at the bar. Cipher had named the night finished a couple minutes after attempting to wake his assistant up. It was late anyways, and all of them would surely have wicked hangovers in the morning. Well, all but Teeth, Pyronica and 8-Ball. Those were the only three that refused to drink much, if not at all. It was a little surprising to Dipper that Teeth, even when he requested a drink, would be refused an alcoholic beverage by all the adults. It was shockingly... responsible. He probably wouldn't remember such responsibility in the morning however.

"Did ya' know that- *hic*- women have feet too?" Dipper attempted to add helpfully as Bill carried him up the steps to his apartment room. It was almost an adorable sight. He was holding Dipper up in a bridal style, all the while chuckling at his comments about irrelevant matters. "You know what Pinetree? I don't think I knew that." Bill replied, fishing the keys to Dipper's room out of his own pockets. He had snagged them before offering to carry Dipper back home. He stuffed them into the keyhole and turned, opening the door after then stealing the keys back. Without much thought or care, he dumped Dipper onto his bed. Dipper landed with a huff, then broke out into fits of giggles. It was actually annoying now that Bill thought about it.

And just like that, Bill Cipher was no longer amused by Dipper's drunk self. "Shut up, Pinetree." He nearly hissed, shoving a pillow over Dipper's face. He considered leaving then, but then he noticed all the work scattered on the floor and desk. It was all cluttered and disorganized, but it was everything that Bill had ever asked him to do. Extra copies, discarded papers and ideas, written papers...

Normally, none of his goons ever put this much effort into the things he asked him to do. Most of them were just lazy and the thought of doing paperwork made them whine like children. Not even Hectorgon, who was in charge of Mindscape's political, social, and economic endeavors, bothered with finishing work until Bill actively pressed its importance. He hadn't had anyone work so hard since... Ford.

The thought brought a genuine smile onto his face. "Pinetree... You're just like your great uncle, you know that?" He murmured, picking up one of the more recently discarded papers and inspecting it. Bill sat down on the bed, nearly squashing Dipper's feet. The boy poked his head out from under the pillow and blinked. "Ford?" He pondered. "I'm not that old!" Bill chuckled at his response and tossed the paper aside. "You're like him in other ways, kid. I hope you can appreciate that."

He walked over to the window and pulled it open, tossing the keys onto Dipper's desk without looking. "Sleep well, Dipper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Bill Cipher: Head of operations/leader
> 
> \- Pyronica: Medic/doctor/alchemist (Inspired by Tia Dalma-Pirates of the Caribbean)
> 
> \- 8-Ball: Muscle/body-guard
> 
> \- Xanthar: Muscle/body-guard (Inspired by Jonah-Tomb Raider)
> 
> \- Paci-Fire: Pyrotechnician (works with explosives) (Inspired by Envy-Dead Rising 3)
> 
> \- Hectorgon: Ambassador (handles political/social/economic affairs) (Inspired by Josephine Montilyet-Dragon Age Inquisition and Capone Bege-One Piece)
> 
> \- Kryptos: Hacker/programmer/decoder (Inspired by Humanized Wheatley-Portal 2)
> 
> \- Keyhole: Scout/infiltrator (Inspired by Haymitch-Hunger Games)
> 
> \- Teeth: Scout and marksman


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sharing secrets and all that fluff

If Dipper could've avoided waking up that morning, he would've.

"Ugh..." He groaned, gripping his forehead as nauseating pain rocked his body. This by far was the worst hangover he'd had in a long time. Not since his younger days when he went to parties with his sister and her friend Pacifica at least. Those were the only times he dare drink anything but beer, mostly because it wasn't offered at her higher class gatherings. Beer was the only drink that never really ended in a terrible hangover with Dipper. That was mostly due to the fact Stan and him would often drink it after a long day of serving customers at the Shack. He'd grown a resistance to not only becoming intoxicated by beer, but also to the hangovers received by consuming large quantities of it.

Last night was an entirely different story. Much of the night didn't remain in Dipper's mind, but he knew for a fact he'd gone to that Jamaican woman many times for refills. She must've been giving him something fruity, or at least something other than beer. He couldn't quite recall, but the lingering flavor of sweetness on his tongue told him it wasn't his normal beverage.

He had to refrain from gagging as he remembered the taste. This morning was likely to be filled with lots of painkillers and an equal amount of dry heaving. No doubt he'd throw up all the contents of last nights party in addition to any pills he consumed. Dipper felt the bile rise in his throat and quickly darted to the bathroom. He nearly didn't make it to the toilet before it all came right back up. It wasn't filled with food particles, which should've been expected. He figured he didn't eat anything last night. He definitely didn't eat anything at the bar. Not that he would've been able to recall that. He didn't even remember coming home.

Speaking of which; how did he get home? It was late when he got in, considering how late he slept in. Dipper glanced at the small alarm clock at his bedside, the bathroom door still open so he could see beyond the toilet. It was nearly noon. Judging by that, he could only assume he arrived home past midnight. He doubted that he stumbled home alone, although it did seem like something Bill would enjoy letting him do.

At the mention of the man's name, Dipper began to wonder if it were him that took him home. It didn't seem like something Bill would do, but Dipper already knew that he knew the whereabouts of where the Pines boy lived. Maybe he left a note...

Dipper's face flushed red. That last note certainly didn't go unnoticed, and it led to the quick disappearance of his most embarrassing pair of underpants. The reason he had kept those particular pair of "Lamby" boxers was due to the fact that his old-time summer crush, Wendy, had bought them for him after an... event. This event included him dressing up in a Lamby costume for her and singing the old song while dancing. Dipper shuddered. It was the worst day of his life, but it turned out alright in the end. It gave Wendy a reason to tease him however. Thus the inside joke was born and at the end of that particular summer, he was gifted a pair of lamby boxers that he had yet to grow out of.

The fact that Bill saw them was more than enough reason to hide them in a dark place where only Dipper knew the location. He'd revisit them sometime, just for nostalgia's sake, but not while he was partnered with a deranged man who liked to make nighttime house visits.

He heaved one last time before flushing the disgusting slop down into the sewers. His bathroom would probably stink for the next day, but Dipper wasn't expecting any visitors, nor did the smell bother him too much. He'd be at the house anyways doing who knows what for Bill.

_Didn't I have something I needed to tell Bill..._

The lingering thought poked and bothered Dipper suddenly. He _did_ feel like there was something important he hadn't quite recalled yet. It involved Bill, but that was all he knew thus far. Dipper decided he'd take a shower and attempt to remember the events of the night before. Showers did clear his mind after all.

With that thought in mind, Dipper stood up shakily, attempting to ignore the throbbing in his head. Taking an aspirin after this was _definitely_ becoming a priority. He peeled off his clothes. His shirt clung uncomfortably to his sweaty chest. Throwing up had made him feverish probably.

A cold shower would satisfy his heated body. The man stepped into the shower and flipped on the water. Cold water instantly soothed his sweat drenched body, and it even managed to calm down his headache partially. A small moan of relief slipped from his lips. "Oh man that's so good..." He murmured as water rushed down onto his face and down onto his nude body. The previous feeling of dirtiness he felt before was washed away. The only thing that truly remained was the sticky taste of leftover retch in his mouth.

He swept soap covered fingers through his unruly hair, letting it rinse out afterwards. Even after all the contents in his hair were washed away, Dipper basked in the cold water more a minute more. The answers he wanted were in his head, somewhere, but he couldn't reach it. Dipper considered retracing his steps mentally and decided that it was probably the best plan of action at the moment.

_Where did it start? Oh yes, the house. Bill showed me... the tarp! The two cranes... longevity and youth..._

He felt like he saw those two things twice that day, but he couldn't remember where the other place was. Dipper continued on.

_What next? Bill took me to the bar... and introduced the rest of Mindscape to me._

Dipper couldn't recall many of there names, but he figured he'd remember sooner or later. They were bound to meet again, especially since Bill and him now had a lead on the fountain.

_I met them all and then we drank... Something happened before that?_

Was that where he saw the crane again? But where would he see that? Did he have his- the journal!

It all began to come back to Dipper. The lights. The messages. The journal! Ford had left those messages and Bill wouldn't let him explain himself! He quickly shut off the water and grabbed a towel off the rack. Water dripped off of him and onto his bathroom floor, but he didn't bother drying off all the way. He quick dried himself once he stepped out and went to his small cabinet of clothes. Dipper picked out a casual outfit of a white shirt and some jeans. It showed off his scrawny little arms, which is something Dipper usually disapproved of, but today he felt a sense of confidence. He had, after all, made a huge discovery by finding those secret notes. He felt strangely... unstoppable.

He retracted back to his kitchen to grab a quick bowl of cereal. Meanwhile, Dipper typed a message to Bill, requesting that he have a black light on hand. He considered mentioning why, but the boy wanted to tell Bill personally. For some reason the thought of the other showing approval excited Dipper. Realizing this brought a blush onto his cheeks.

_It's probably because I've been lacking in a bit of respect lately... yeah, that's it_

It was a lame excuse, but any reason would satisfy Dipper. After all, it was less than likely he'd admit his gleefulness in being thanked for his hard earned work. Especially by the oddity that was his boss.

Dipper stood from his seat and tossed the bowl into the sink, making a mental note to clear the almost full tub of dishes later. A sudden ringing caused his attention to dart towards the blinking phone on the table. It was a text from Bill, which didn't shock Dipper in the least. He'd muted the rest of his contacts. Mostly because most of them were his family members. He was still mad at them, but at the same time nervous to answer their calls. They probably hated him by now. Not that he was going to bother himself with troubling thoughts such as that at the moment. He picked up the phone off the table and tapped in his password, the texting program on his phone flipping on.

**I'LL SHOW YOU MINE IF YOU SHOW ME YOURS**

... Dipper really didn't hope that had some different meaning behind it. He believed it was safe to assume that it was just him requesting Dipper to bring what he had found, and Bill would show him something else in return. What that something else was, Dipper didn't quite know. In all honesty, with that promiscuous sort of message, he didn't know if he _wanted_ to know.

With that in mind, he went back into his bedroom to retrieve the journal containing information on the fountain. He pocketed both his phone and the journal, taking one last look over his apartment before departing. All the windows were locked, the door was locked, and all his stuff was packed into his drawers and under his bed. He didn't need anyone from Mindscape or some other place snooping through his things now. It was probably useless paranoia, but it helped keep his mind at ease to know he had _some_ level of protection over his work.

* * *

By some miraculous chance, Dipper had managed to catch one of the two very rare taxis that roamed Gravity Falls. The small town really didn't need them, and Dipper could agree on that point, but his great uncle's house was a bit away from the town. At least it felt like that when he walked there normally. It was arguably not that far, but Dipper perceived it to be since he hadn't truly exercised a day in his life, and his frail body spoke volumes about it. His frequent trips did make it more bearable, but Dipper wouldn't deny the relief he felt after taking a seat down in the house. They didn't even have AC there, but Bill and him had salvaged a few fans from up in the attic and plugged them into the walls. Evidently, Bill paid the electricity bill just for those reasons. Also the plumbing bill, but neither of them two really bothered with using the toilets inside the house. They were absolutely filthy and were surely growing things that should be kept at a distance unless you were interested in contracting a severe illness. They still used the sink sometimes though, for water and occasionally cooking if the occasion arose.

For now, Dipper relished in the short ride that took him to his desired location. It really only took a couple minutes by vehicle, which made Dipper believe that the house wasn't all that far away. The thought made him sigh. He needed to buff up sometime soon. Who knows what adventures Bill and him will find themselves in. Dipper had been to tombs, and with the way Bill worked, he bet that the other had as well.

And it was no secret that ruins required a bit of dexterity and skills to maneuver. Time and the elements usually took their toil on old buildings and rocks, making clear paths harder to find. Dipper usually only managed to reach certain areas and didn't even bother trying to scale walls. The first and last time he tried had ended in a broken wrist and a bad concussion. Actually, a lot of the locations in the journal weren't reachable by Dipper. He didn't have the proper skill nor the resources to get there. Now that he had a larger team of people with different skills... it opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

"We're here." The taxi driver said, stopping the car in front of a familiar gravel road. Dipper blinked himself out of his thoughts and nodded, thanking the man quietly before exiting the vehicle. A blush rose to his face when the driver chuckled at his small voice. He really did hate how people took him less seriously because of the way he looked and talked. Not to mention he hated his lack of confidence that seemed to plague him every day.

Not today though. No. Today he would disclose a discovery that would change the life of him, his family, and possibly the world around him. He would _not_ have some low-life driver giggle at him.

Dipper then slammed the door to the cab and flicked the driver off. The man's grin shifted into something a lot angrier. Nothing happened however. The cab driver just drove off without another word. The man wanted to relish in his small victory, but quickly he realized that that particular driver was probably never going to offer his services to Dipper again.

Well. That wasn'tan amazing win, but it was something, even if it only made him feel superior for only a second. He stood on that thought for another moment before turning on his heel. The man had much to do today and was blessed with a long, long while to do it, but he wanted to so badly tell Bill of his discovery. Dipper began to press forward into the woods, the sound of his tennis shoes tromping on the gravel was in chorus with the sounds of the surrounding woods. He had always favored the way his great uncle's house was secluded from much of the world. It left him with a calming atmosphere that was not only good for studying, but for exploring. Exploring had been one of life's great pleasures during Dipper's earlier years. During the summer, him and Mabel would wander these very woods in search of adventure. Ford knew of some strange creatures that lived in the woods and Dipper was always keen on spying on them when ever the occasion arose.

Nothing supernatural seemed to linger about the house though. Not even today. He couldn't even here the regular birds chirping. Dipper blinked and looked around. His ears weren't lying. The sky was clear of birds, and the ground held no creatures besides himself. It was odd considering the area was usually so full of life. The absence of creatures formed a knot in his stomach. Was this something paranormal? A sign? Was Bill behind it? Where is Bill?

Before he knew it, he had picked up speed and was running quickly to the house. It was a peculiar sense of fear that had a mix of feelings. Worry was the most prevalent. For who though? Surely not Bill! Dipper knew the man could take care of himself exceedingly well.

_... right?_

He flung open the door, a sweat on his skin from sprinting in the heat of the sun. Adrenaline pumped down his veins. Why was he getting so worked up? Just because it was quiet didn't mean that it was something bad! Those reassuring thoughts were silenced as a scent of burning wood was recognized by Dipper. Fire. What else came with a burning smell? Were the electrical sockets finally giving out?

"Bill! Where are you?!" Dipper shouted, running around the house. The smoke wasn't visible, but it was definitely there. The smell and flavor made him slightly queasy. He never was a fan of burning things. It usually made his eyes water and his allergies act up. He rushed about the building. He checked the upstairs, downstairs, and the bathrooms! Nothing at all.

Strangely, the last room he visited, the living room, seemed devoid of furniture. Had they been robbed? "BILL! Seriously, man! Where the hell are you-?"

"PINETREE! COME OUTSIDE YOU USELESS FLESH SACK!" Roared a familiar and all-too relieving voice. Bill's voice was slightly muffled due to the surrounding walls, and it seemed even further than a few rooms away. Dipper nearly face palmed. Outside! Why hadn't he looked in the yard or gone into the woods? He didn't sound too far off so he must be in the clearing out back. Either that or he was just really loud.

_... probably just really loud... and annoying..._

Regardless, Dipper couldn't help but smile. At least he knew nothing was seriously wrong. The question remained though: Why was there missing furniture and why was Bill outside? The pieces should've clicked together sooner, but Dipper didn't receive his answer until he opened up the back door.

He was greeted by smoke that rose just to the peak of the house and flames that flickered angrily as the couch and other wooden pieces were consumed by the angry red tongues of destruction. A gasp caught in his throat as Dipper finally realized what was happening.

Bill was destroying the furniture. Incinerating just another part of his childhood; something that contained some of his best memories. "Bill?! _WHAT ARE YOU DOING_?" Dipper screeched, running up towards the man. He was currently wearing a gray wife-beater and some really worn-looking gym shorts. The sweat that gleamed on his skin made Dipper wonder how long he'd been hauling, and if he had really carried the heavy objects in the living room to a fire all by himself. He didn't look all that buff, but there was clearly some muscle on him.

The smile of relief on Dipper's face soon dissipated into a look of horror. Bill would've smirked at it if he wasn't trying to toss one of the heavy cabinets into a heap of blazing furniture. "I'm... ugh!" He dropped the piece. The wood splintered as it crashed into the ground, but the thing didn't shatter like it should've. Most of the house was completely rotted, and that definitely included most of the furniture. "I'm burning... the furniture..." He continued while panting out labored breaths. "For... the renovation..."

If any word was going to save Bill from getting his face knocked in by a couple of noodley arms, then he definitely said it. Renovation? Dipper raised his brow and frowned deeply. The term didn't necessarily spark any positive emotion inside of him. It only served to make him more confused, but confused enough to the point where he didn't feel like letting out his not-so-terrifying fury upon the other. "What are you even talking about, Bill?" Dipper hissed out.

For a while Bill didn't respond. He was attempting to catch his breath, and Dipper could tell why. The couch they had in the living room was sitting at the very top of the mountain. Cipher had probably tossed it up there with his own hands. Once again, Dipper found himself staring at the man's figure. He didn't look all that strong, but maybe it was just his various tattoos covering up any muscle definition he had.

"Renovations, Pinetree. Are you not familiar with the meaning or something?" Bill finally returned, straightening himself up and staring at his subordinate. "I'm fixing this place up so you can live here. Consider it a bonus for impressing me with your effort!"

That whole response sent another wave of confusion over him, not to mention a bit of pride. Bill was impressed by him? A tinge of red painted his cheeks as Dipper accepted the compliment readily. "Well, a _man_ does his best." He straightened his hat up and attempted to look more _manly_. The gesture forced a laugh out of Bill's throat. "You're _adorable_ , kid!" His words only served to make his face even redder. Dipper shot a defiant look towards Bill, not unused to being called such things by others, but certainly not fond of being called it either. "I am not adorable!" Dipper pointed an angry finger at him and grunted. "Why the hell do you want me to live here anyways? Is it so you can spy on me?"

There was a certain glint to Bill's eyes, as if trying to convey the message: _like watching you while you wear lamby boxers?_ He laughed all the same and sniffed, the smoke agitating his senses. "Relax kid. I'm just trying to be more affordable! Paying your rent is pointless, and you already own the house, so I thought I might try to make the place habitable." Well, he didn't actually _own_ the house, but his family did. What Bill was saying was surprisingly logical. Dipper did already come here pretty much everyday, he had run out of his own cash a long time ago, and this place was hardly looked out for so it'd be no problem living here. His family probably wouldn't notice his residence here either, since Bill would be paying for the bills.

_And you'd be paying for nothing! Why the hell are you being a dick about this Dipper?_

"Oh... wow. Um, thanks." Bill deserved a thanks too. Now that he finally thought about it, Bill really was being extraordinarily nice to him. Paying his rent, giving him money, and even renovating his great uncle's house so he could live there. He let out a guilty sigh and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry for shouting... It's just sort of sudden. All the stuff in the house means a lot to me."

His apology was quickly waved off. "It's not problem, kid. After all, I want my little Pinetree to be happy," Bill paused for a second and chuckled. "Although watching you be depressed is pretty hilarious!" The statement alone was enough to bring back the blush that had previously faded. Since when did Bill start referring to him as "his"? He felt like he'd said it before too. "Y-Yeah. Anyways," Dipper quickly changed the topic. "I'm guessing you want my help with this?"

"Exactly!" Bill chirped. Quickly he reached out and snatched up Dipper's cap, placing it onto his own head before ruffling his hair. "Hows about we ditch this cabinet and finish tossing out the rest?"

After a moment Dipper Pines finally let loose a smile and nodded.

It was a strange day, nearly too fast for Dipper. Waking up with a traumatizing headache, coming here to watch distant memories be burned to ash, and then having his own boss display a great deal of affection. He wasn't a very liberal person when it came to change, but he didn't mind all of this. None of this was inherently bad. Dipper began to realize this as he looked towards the ever growing flames near him. The feelings he felt were hard to decipher. Relief. Sadness. Guilt. Joy. He couldn't filter out which one he felt the most.

He wondered why he felt this way. After all, he was destroying much of his past. Maybe it was because he was finally achieving something he longed to do for so long. To move on. To move on from all the heartache, all the misery that he had tormented himself with for years. This house was a painful scar in his eyes, but something could be made anew from it. A new life. A new purpose. His resolve. Dipper could save Ford. He could mend his family. He could help.

Maybe the rest of his family had left to pursue their own ambitions and he had stayed behind to pursue his. They were linear while he, Dipper Pines, chose a more frustrating and whimsical path. It was finally paying off though. He'd make something useful of his life and _for once_ he may be respected.

His blush remained. Bill respected him. If his memory was accurate, many of the others from Mindscape had looked at him with a similar gaze.

"What're you doing, Pinetree?" Bill teased, bringing him out of his thoughts. "We've got work to do, and I don't pay you to just stand around and think about me."

"I'm not thinking about you! And you don't even pay me, Bill."

"So you say."

Dipper's face reddened as he struggled to come up with something snarky. Nothing delivered however. "You're an asshole." He finally muttered out, grabbing the cabinet with Bill.

"The one and only!"

* * *

Starry eyes gazed upon starry nights.

It had been so long since Dipper had sat upon the roof of the house. It was something him and Mabel used to do all the time at night. Grab a cooler of Pitt Cola and a radio, turn on the device to whatever station they managed to agree on, and then just talk and bask in the starlight. That was one of the better memories he had, but thinking about him saddened him slightly. Mabel. He hadn't talked to her in nearly a month, and even thought he didn't check who had called him, he figured nearly all of them would've been her trying to contact him. She must be worried sick...

"Pinetree, check this out!"

His worried expression disappeared as he watched Bill do stupid shadow puppets with his hands. "Look! It's a bird!" He would exclaim, only for Dipper to remark that his puppet looked only like a stretched out hand. "It's only that if you think like that." Bill returned, smirking. "Where's that imagination I saw at that little shack, Pinetree?"

Dipper chuckled and leaned back. He brought the half-empty can of Pitt Cola to his lips and sipped on his slowly. "I don't think that applies to shadow puppets."

An almost adorable pout formed on Bill's lips. He really was a child, despite him probably being several years older than Dipper himself. He looked about 30 in all honesty. "Fine fine." Dipper gave in. "Hmm... I'd say it looks like a turkabbit." The name brought back Bill's chipper expression as he reached into the cooler. He let his hand linger in there for a bit, enjoying the way the cold bit into his skin. It was something that Dipper had noticed over the course of a month. Bill really did seem to enjoy putting himself in pain. One time he had walked in on Bill poking himself repeatedly with a needle.

"Heh." He chuckled, looking down at the black light in his lap. The thing needed to be repaired, but he hadn't had all that much time to fix it before Pinetree showed up. He half the mind to go sent Teeth off to the bar and steal one of Kryptos' black lights. It was nice though, having something to do while he spoke to his partner. Partner. The word briefly made him frown. Ford. He hated thinking about Sixer sometimes, but Dipper was nothing like that. Not too smart and not lacking in ambition. That's why the air around him shifted into something lighter so quickly. He really did like Dipper. There was nothing exceedingly annoying about him, and Bill thought his antics were just _precious_. The way he tilted his head down to hide his blush. Or how he drew his foot along the dirt when he stood still for too long. Even when he got mad at Bill, the man couldn't help but chuckle.

Dipper wasn't any more intimidating than a small deer. Xanthar had been right about him. He was _exactly_ like a deer. Skittish, curious, and fragile. Something that Bill only wanted to wanted to watch for the longest of times, only for him to run off if he made the smallest mistake. Yes. Dipper was just a deer. He couldn't screw this up, otherwise Dipper would leave and Bill would lose his only chance to-

"Ah! Bill! It's working!"

He blinked just as the black light began to flicker to life. "What did I tell you? That didn't take long at all." Bill said, raising the device until it reached its full brightness. Both of them basked in the deep purple for a moment before Dipper let out a giggle. "That took nearly an hour." He replied, reaching behind him to grab his discarded journal. The boy had informed Bill of what he found while they hauled all the furniture into their massive bonfire. By now the flames had mostly died out. The two hadn't bothered drenching it in water since, well, they didn't really have a means of doing so. Nothing efficient at least. They opted to just let it simmer down into ashes, which it was thankfully doing. Halfway through the job and Dipper wondered if they'd be the start of a forest fire. The only thing they managed to kill though was a large patch of weeds, which was doomed to grow back anyways.

In any case, Bill didn't seem all too surprised about the find. It was something Dipper had expected. If the man really did know his great uncle, then he should've had the same reaction as Dipper did.

Bill scoffed and snatched the journal from Dipper. "Pft. The unappreciated these days..." He grumbled before shining the light onto Dipper's lap, where the journal now lay. He flipped through the many pages until he found the pages detailing the fountain.

This was the first time Dipper truly got to analyze the pages. There was a lot more than what he just read, but the main pieces remained. Bimini. The cranes. Shards. What did it all mean? Him and Bill had discussed it throughout the day, and the two had easily recalled the tales about the Spanish explorer named Juan Ponce de León who traveled to Florida in search of the fountain. What they knew was that it was largely lies and that he was only in search of wealth, but the natives _had_ directed him to Bimini, saying that the fountain resided there. Bimini didn't have any cranes as far as the two were concerned, so the picture may not be linked to it. Fragments... that could be anything. The fountain could be broken or chipped. It didn't necessarily correlate to Bimini however since it didn't describe a certain area.

Green light was illuminated eerily off of the pages as they read on. Most of the other pages besides the one that Dipper had read at the bar talked about what the fountain did and what area it may be in. Unfortunately, there were a lot of areas that fell under the broad description that Ford gave. Not to mention that he gave _multiple_ landscapes. "That a lot of researching." Dipper grumbled after about ten minutes of just silently examining. Bill nodded quietly beside him, his eyes scanning over the pages intensely. He seemed to be looking for something in particular, but to no avail.

"Yeah. It is." Bill replied back after a long moment of stillness. "At least we've got _one_ location. I doubt that it's the final place, because I bet my teeth that Bimini has already been picked clean by researchers. Fragments..." Bill leaned onto Dipper, eyeing the journal at a closer angle. The closeness made him a little wary, but Bill didn't seem to have any malicious intentions. It did occur to him though that Bill smelled faintly of lilies. "That could be referring to the Bimini Road." His voice brought Dipper out of the trance he hadn't realized he fell into.

_Were you really just smelling Bill...?_

Dipper blushed and nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah." The man managed, earning a look from Bill. This was one of those moments that made Bill truly look like a god among men. His look of focus, the excitement in his eyes... Dipper Pines admired it. "The Bimini Roads are built up of blocks, right? Those could be fragments."

That statement didn't seem to settle with Bill, as he continued to look at Dipper. The younger man swallowed and thought a bit more. Fragments... Was it meant to be taken literally? Was Bimini a fragment-

"It's a fragment of a civilization." He finally murmured, looking at Bill with starry eyes. The other smirked broadly, as if he were proud of Dipper finally getting it. "That exactly, Pinetree! The Bimini Roads were thought to be a part of the lost city of Atlantis! Of course that's probably not that case anymore, since Atlantis is a bunch of stupid fairy tales. The mer-people down in Florida might know about the fountain though..."

Doe eyes blinked rapidly. Mer... people?! "There are mer-people?" Dipper practically demanded, his face lighting up happily. The expression seemed to humor Bill as he began to laugh heartily. "Of course, my little Pinetree! I doesn't seem like these journals talk about the supernatural _specifically_ , so I'm not really surprised you haven't seen one yet." A new feeling of excitement welled up in his stomach. Bill knew about supernatural creatures, _AND_ he knew where to find them! "Um... Bill... Can you tell me more?"

The golden man had begun to look off into the distance, but his gaze shifted back to his partner when he spoke up again. Dipper already had his notebook opened to a new page and pen in hand. Where he had gotten the utensil was a mystery to Bill. He chuckled at Dipper's cute antics and smirked. "Well, I guess I _could_. Wanna make another deal? I'll tell you what I know if..." A quick hand wrapped out Dipper's waist, pulling him flush up against the side of Bill Cipher. "... you stay like this for the rest of the night."

Almost instantaneously, Dipper's face turned an impossible red. What was Bill doing?! He pushed back, landing on his back after Bill finally let his grip slip. No! That was _definitely_ not worth learning about some stupid mer-people! Bill began to laugh loudly, almost doubling over in persisting giggles. "Oh my GODS, Pinetree! You're... you're fucking expression..." He burst out into another fit of laughter, causing the heat to travel all over Dipper's body.

"Stop laughing!" Dipper spat back. He didn't have any other things to tack onto the end of it, because he didn't want to embarrass himself further. So after Bill failed to stop his insufferable cackling, he opted to sitting a little whiles away on the roof with his knees drawn firmly to his chest. He felt like a little kid again. Bill was just like Stan when they were younger. Teasing him, picking on him, but also showing him an incredible amount of kindness. The thought made him feel terribly guilty. Remnants of his thoughts earlier that night came back to him.

He missed his family. Mabel. Stan. Ford... He missed them all.

What happened to that incredible high he felt that very morning? Where was all this worry and misery coming from? Dipper sighed and closed his eyes. He considered it guilt that he had somehow ignored over the longest month he'd had in a while. Maybe now that he was finally on a road to somewhere he was beginning to regret pushing the people he loved so far away. Because now... he only had a few people to turn to. Bill. Maybe the others. But no one else...

"Yeesh, kid. It was just a joke." Said Bill, coming over to sit by Dipper once again. He had stopped laughing after he noticed the depressing forlorn look he had upon Pinetree's face. Not to mention his sad air was totally killing his mood. Dipper didn't reply to Bill, and he wasn't even comforted by the nearby presence. Bill being beside him like this was making this much less bearable. Gods he felt like crying. At the moment he wanted only to call up Mabel or Stan and spill out what's been going on. He wanted to run to California, grab his sister, and just sit by her side while he balled his eyes out. She'd probably reject him, too angry for him worrying her so much to even bother helping him. The same for Stan as well, although Dipper doubted he'd ever cry in front of his grunkle like that. He especially wished he had Ford here. Ford would understand. He'd help Dipper through this. Talk to him, take him on an adventure, tell him magnificent stories of creatures and ruins...

But Ford wasn't here. He was lost out there somewhere. Dipper hadn't a clue to where he was or when they'd find him. He was probably alive and fending for himself quite well. After all, if he truly was alive, then he's spent an awful lot of time surviving. Dipper would never know until they met again though, if he truly was alive. Bill wouldn't tell him anything, Stan and Mabel didn't know anything, and he was just as awful. He didn't understand _any_ of it. He was stuck in a horrible gray where he had the luxury of doubt; that his great uncle wasn't gone. Meanwhile he was also bearing the great load of not knowing.

"Bill," Dipper murmured after a long, long period of nothing. Neither of them were speaking, just basking in the moonlight and wondering what would come next. "Hmm?" Bill replied, turning his gaze towards Dipper's fetal form. He looked so vulnerable to Bill, but the man surprisingly didn't take advantage of it. How could he? One wrong move and his little deer would run away from him.

Large, brown eyes turned up to meet the gaze of sharp, golden orbs. Dots of brown flecks in his eyes making them almost glimmer in the night. The flash light that Bill had been holding this entire time lighting them up further.

"... Did you know Ford?"

The question settled heavily around them. Dipper didn't know the answer and Bill certainly looked wary of giving it up. The younger didn't know quite why Bill had put this off for so long, and why he didn't yet trust Dipper with that. Was Ford his enemy? Was there something about this whole situation that Dipper just couldn't know? If there was then Dipper certainly wouldn't settle for not knowing. Anything that mattered, and this whole ordeal mattered greatly to Dipper, shouldn't be kept a secret from him. What was the point? He and Bill were practically bound to each other. Bill needed him for some reason, and Dipper needed him and his resources to find Ford.

Finally he spoke up, eyes pointed at the moon longingly. "I was apprenticed to him."

_Apprenticed... to Ford?_

It humored Dipper how he felt a surge of jealously wash over him. After all, _he_ was supposed to be Ford's apprentice. That never came to be. Ford had gone just before he was of age and that was probably the worst part of his whole disappearance.

He had never once let Dipper see the world through his eyes.

For a while the act of him leaving had seemed almost selfish to the young Pines boy. He had waited nearly all of his childhood for that one moment where Ford would take him out on an incredible and dangerous adventure. His feelings of excitement and anxiousness had built up so much to the point of bursting; but then he left. His great uncle had left him with nothing more than a feeling of emptiness and an old stone with his name on it. Dead. Gone. Never to return.

Yet all this time, he had his very own apprentice? Heh. Bill Cipher of all people! Dipper wanted to laugh out his misery at that moment. He didn't care if he seemed crazed or delusional. This was utter irony! Agony at its best!

Nothing came up though. The bitter feelings he had only settled in the bottom of his stomach, making him queasy if not anything else. Bill had looked away from Dipper, but when he eyes focused back on the blonde, he saw something shocking.

Bill didn't look at all happy. He looked as if the memories of being under the supervision of his great uncle still plagued him. The sight silenced his jealousy. He wasn't happy with what Ford either, huh? Yet here they were out on a quest to find him. At least, Dipper was. He swallowed some pooling saliva in his mouth before scooting closer to Bill.

It wasn't much, but Dipper rested his head on his shoulder, his body surprisingly sinking into Bill. Something about the gesture made both of them feel more at ease. It was the only thing Dipper could think of to comfort Bill.

"I'm sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;w; please review dudes~ I'm almost through burst-posting


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family closure -w-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw I just realized that none of the chapters have my stuff italicized or anything XD so... yay I know what I'M going to be doing for the next hour

Dipper woke up the next morning to a feeling of warmth enveloped around him. Soft blankets brushed up against his skin as he shifted slightly in the bed. Slowly he opened his wide brown eyes to examine where he was.

Ah. His apartment.

He sat up and stretched his aching limbs. "Agh!" The man hissed as he pulled something a little bit too much. Yesterday had really taken its toll on him. His entire body was aching something horrible.

_This is just an underwhelming as it should be_

Despite his morning pains, Dipper felt somewhat accomplished. Unlike two days ago, he was actually able to recall what happened yesterday. Him and Bill had cleared the house. Bill had told him something new about his great uncle. They'd deciphered some bit of the whereabouts of the fountain. All in all it was a pretty productive day, besides the falls of depression and jealousy. It felt resolved though...

The expression Bill wore at the mention of Ford gave Dipper some chills. During many points that night did Dipper want to prod Bill more. Each time he considered it though, that same face flickered in his mind. Bill had been so content after they began to... snuggle. Even more shudders traveled down his body as a blush rose on his face. He prayed to the gods that Bill wouldn't tease him about that today. He... hadn't done that out of affection, surely. It was simply to just comfort the other. Mabel used to do that to him when he was upset, so it only makes sense. Yeah. He would never do something like that Bill for any other reason.

Bill...

Wait a second.

Dipper looked around and realized that this was indeed his apartment and definitely not the house. The reason behind his panic was that he could've sworn he fell asleep on the roof with Bill. His blush darkened at the thought. Did Bill take him home?

_There should be a note around if he did..._

With that thought in mind, Dipper got up from his bed and looked around. There was nothing on any immediate surface, but as he looked at the partially open window, he found a sticky note stuck onto the window sill. The message was written in delicate and neat handwriting. Obviously Bill hadn't been in a rush last night to leave him alone. Was he looking for something? Maybe just watching him...

He shuddered again and took up the note.

_Don't bother coming to the house today Pinetree. Or for the rest of the week. Construction should probably take a few days and maybe a little more if a giant crane tips over onto a worker. Take the day off today, come to the bar tomorrow, and you were quite adorable last night. I had fun with some of your underpants, so I'm not sorry if all of them aren't folded anymore. Don't die, kid!_

And there went any hope of not being teased. Dipper sighed heavily and reread the note, wondering what it meant. The bit about construction was probably referring to the house and the renovations that Bill mentioned the night before. The crane suggested that this was going to be some larger scale project, and Dipper wouldn't help but believe Bill was directing it all. The man hadn't suggested in the note that Dipper meet him elsewhere today, so he could only assume he was preoccupied at the moment. He crumpled up the note and tossed it towards his wastebasket, missing horribly.

A small pout formed on his lips as he wondered what he'd spend the day doing. It had been a while since he was blessed with free time, leaving him with nothing to do since he had no work. He could continue his research and find out more about Bimini. The thought left him feeling a bit sour, although he had no idea why. It was almost as if he knew he should be doing something else, but didn't quite know what it was.

Then it occurred to him. Last night he'd been bothered by the fact that he and his family hadn't spoken for an entire month. If any day was the day to fix it, it'd be today. He had an official lead and could actually argue his side, rather than making claims that would otherwise seem illogical. Maybe he'd convince them to at least accept his decisions in this.

The small bit of hope forever lurked in the back of his mind, but worry easily drowned it out. They hated him. They would never ever forgive him after shutting them out like he did. Dipper was an outcast and a dream chaser. An ideologist who was obsessed with finding something imaginary. That's how they saw him, he knew it.

Without him realizing it, he found himself tapping his pocket where his phone still remained. He hadn't changed out of his clothes from last night- or Bill hadn't.

_Just call them. They'll forgive you._

Dipper sighed and whipped out his phone, deciding that if he was going to contact anyone first, it'd be his twin.

Mabel.

* * *

"Mister Cipher," a thickly accented voice addressed the man sitting at the bar. "Would you like me to refill your drink?"

Pyronica and Bill relaxed in the almost empty bar. There were a few customers milling about, but this particular Horus establishment wasn't of great popularity. It's exactly why Bill had made it the headquarters for Mindscape. Not too many ears, not too many people, and drunk enough minds to forget the night they overheard whispers of dark deeds. Pyronica managed the building and the sales of alcohol, although she was well versed in the practice of medicine and brewing various concoctions. Her origins in Jamaica gave her plenty of background knowledge of herbal remedies and multiple legends that just so happened to be true.

She was a talented woman, he gave her that. Bill shook his head and stared down blankly at his empty drink. "No thanks, Pyronica." He replied shortly, his mind elsewhere. Dipper. His plans. Ford...

That whole family had somehow managed to shrug itself into every aspect of his life. He didn't know if it was incredible or extremely frustrating. A mix of both, he supposed. The Pines family had mostly given him trouble since he was young. Although Ford was the start of his career as an archaeologist, he was also the one who had kept him away from one of the greatest treasures in the world.

The Fountain of Youth.

Something he had longed for for his entire life. Something that could save so many lives, and Ford had used him to find it. And after he had gone; Bill found himself left behind. There were no clues of where he had disappeared to. Up until now, he hadn't realized that the journals remained in the possession of his family.

The first clues in years. Bill had known that they'd be in the journals. He didn't know where or how to find them, but his ingenious little Pinetree had figured it all out. Pinetree. Dipper.

A smile tugged on his mouth. He was a more acceptable Ford. That's all he was, and Bill absolutely revered him for it. Smart enough to challenge Bill, but not smart enough to defeat him. Dipper was younger and blinded by ambition. It was the one thing that Ford had lacked throughout his life. He couldn't see past his morality and look at the bigger picture. Endless life! It could save so many people and yet Ford kept it all to himself! Ford had known how important it was to Bill, and yet he left still.

Pyronica inspected her boss and raised an inquisitive brow. "I know 'dat face." She remarked. "You are thinking about 'da Sixer, no?" He sent her a look, knowing full well that she was too good at reading expressions. It was part of her trade. She brought out a glass and looked around the thinning numbers in the bar. Surely Bill wouldn't spill his heart and emotions out with people here, but at least he'd be more open to her. Pyronica was one of his older friends that helped him build Mindscape from the ground up after Ford disappeared.

"Hmph," He grunted, looking at his empty glass. "You always know, don't you?" She shrugged her shoulders and offered a smile. "What can I say? Afta' working years with an heartless man, how could I not?" Although that was far from the truth. Pyronica knew full well the means to which Bill would go to protecting the ones he cared about. Very few were they, but she knew that he would risk everything for them. His fortune. His life. His soul. Anything.

He chuckled emptily. "Heartless man... I like that way that sounds!" Bill joked weakly as he swung himself around a bit in his chair. Thoughts of Dipper lingered in his head. The boy was endearing his own way, and Bill couldn't help but admire him. One could say that he's even taken a liking to the boy. He wasn't keen on letting his emotions override logical thought. It would make him look weak in the eyes of some of his more rebellious subordinates. And now more than ever did he need them to fear his authority and respect his decisions. Flirting a fun would have to wait.

"Still thinking, eh?" She took up his glass and refilled it, knowing that Bill surely needed to loosen up. Today was a day off for him, just as it was a day off for Dipper. Some time to think and plan for the future. Bill didn't respond as they fell into another comfortable silence. The only sounds that echoed through the single room belonged to the wall stereos, which emitted a soft, romantic tune. Pyronica let it lull her into a slow swinging motion as she hummed under her breath. Absentmindedly her eyes wandered down to Bill's fingers that had begun to run along the rim of Dipper Pines' hat that lay in his lap. Bill had snatched it off of him the night before without him noticing. His gaze was locked on the many bottles of vodka and other beverages that were shelved behind the woman. Her brow furrowed.

This had been something that had concerned most of Mindscape recently. Bill's recent... actions. It had been no secret that Bill had a strange relationship with the one they called Sixer. It certainly hadn't been mutual, and to anyone else it was actually quite deplorable. Ford was much older than Bill at the time he had begun to flirt, and thankfully the older man recognized it quick enough to end it before it became worse. Pyronica didn't know all of the details of how Ford had managed to stop Bill's antics, but she did know that Bill hardly ever tried making moves on him again. The blonde still had a sort of longing look in his eyes when he recalled Ford, but slowly it had died out.

Now that there was a younger and more malleable Pines family member in his control though... it was highly worrying. Most of the Mindscape members believed that Bill would charm this boy and show him affection until he loved him, then completely forget about his own organization's goals. It didn't seem unlikely since Bill really already had everything he'll need in life as far as the others were concerned. Pyronica knew better though. She looked at him before placing his newly filled drink down, "Bill. Why are you treating Mister Pines so kindly?" Pyronica finally voiced. She was speaking for the rest of the team as well.

Bill didn't manage to pry his gaze off of the bottles, silently wondering how many he could drink before his liver failed. Her voice did manage to catch his attention. It made his stomach twist into a knot. He had his logical reasons. "Because it'll help us achieve our objective." Bill replied, finding it hard to reject that fact that he may have actually been treating Pinetree so kindly for another purpose. At least what he said was partially true.

Surprisingly enough, Pyronica seemed satisfied by his smooth tone and serious expression. There was the Bill she knew! All business and nothing else. It eased her for the moment. "I am glad to hear 'dat." She told him genuinely, watching as he picked up his now refilled drink and take a long sip from it.

* * *

"Mabel?"

"OH MY GOD! _DIPPER_! ITHOUGHTYOUWEREDEADANDIALMOSTCAMETOCOMEANDGETYOUBUT-"

Dipper quickly turned down the volume on his phone, his ears ringing from his sisters raised voice. He didn't get the opportunity to listen to his twin's quick rambling before he was hit with something that shocked him totally and fully.

"I was so worried! I missed you so much!" Mabel finally exclaimed through her phone. "I honestly thought that you'd been abducted by aliens or something."

Her concern left his heart feeling heavy and his shoulders relaxed. So she hadn't been upset this entire time? The smile that crept onto his face was entirely unintentional, and he couldn't force it down one bit. "It's good to see you too, Sis." He replied back to her, trying to keep his voice from cracking. Dipper hated how his voice still persisted to crack even as he aged. He was nearly 30 for God's sake! "I'm... sorry about leaving like that. I figured none of you wanted to see me anymore."

Mabel audibly "pffted" and he could tell just by that that she had shrugged it off. "That's crazy talk! Grunkle Stan and I were worried like _crazy_! Of course I was a little mad when he mentioned the journals..." Her voice trailed off, knowing full well that this was a sensitive topic. The journals that had been passed down to him had almost been the leading symbol of lunacy in his family. The mere mention of them made most faces twist in distaste. "I figured it was important though!" She added with an awkward laugh. "So I didn't chase you down on the spot to figure out what was going on."

Little was done to suppress the small knot that had formed in his chest when he heard the familiar disgust that was almost always somehow associated with his ambition. He was all too used to it, but after a month of constant support and help from Bill, it almost seemed foreign. That's what happens when you shut yourself out from society, he supposed.

_Funny. It wasn't all that bad_

Dipper tucked away the thought and focused back onto his call. It was now or never. "Actually... It was pretty important. Mabel, I know you're going to think I'm crazy for saying this." He quickly continued on before she could make a mention to how crazy she already believed he was. "But I think I've got an actual lead on where Great Uncle Ford might be!"

There was one thing he actually had been expecting. Joy. He had figured his sister would be completely ecstatic over this. Maybe she'd even offer to come by and wish him luck before his trip to Bimini that he was sure Bill would take.

What he hadn't been expecting was complete and utter silence from the other end of the phone.

Mabel remained absolutely still. It was just then that Dipper could hear the faint sounds of overly auto-tuned generic boy bands in the background. She must be at home then, he decided.

"... Dipper what?" She managed after a very long moment of processing what he just said. "How can you have a lead on someone who is _dead_?" Dipper quickly came up with a response, as if he'd been readying an answer to that question for a long, long time. In all honesty, he had. "No Mabel! Ford went _missing_! He could still be alive out there!" He was practically panting at this point, his nerves taking over as he attempted to vent all that he was thinking in one single statement. "I met this guy who was apprenticed to Ford, and we're close to finding something big- look Mabel, I know it sounds insane-"

"Dipper!" His sister exclaimed, her clear irritation and pure disappointed showing through her tone. "Everything you do is insane! Ford is an old guy who loved his family! Why would he go off the charts and avoid the rest of us? And you can't just go trusting random people off the streets that claim they knew Ford personally!"

"Bill is _NOT_ some random guy off the street!" Dipper found himself shooting back, his rare but persistent temper boiling inside of him. "Ford was after the Fountain of Youth, Mabel! He left to go find it, and the likelihood of me finding him if I go search for the fountain is pretty damn high!" It was one of those rare moments he cursed in front of his sister, who hardly cursed at all. Swearing was almost like lying to Mabel. She completely _loathed_ it.

She groaned loudly into the phone. "That's not an actual place!"

"Yes it is!"

"No it isn't!"

"Yes. It is!"

"No. It isn't!"

"Yes. It. Is."

"NO IT ISN'T-"

"OKAY FINE!" Dipper gave the last word before it became an all out war of "is" and "isn't". He knew from experience how long it would go on if the twin's persevered hard enough. "That isn't going to stop me from looking for it." And he meant it. He knew from the very start that no matter what his family might say, he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass through his fingers. He had come this far, and no way in _hell_ was he going to quick now.

The girl sighed heavily into the phone, a moment of silence lingering between them before she broke it. "I know, bro bro." She finally said. Her disappointed voice made his heart weigh even heavier in his chest, and it took all of his power not to apologize and give into the battle. It wasn't over yet. He needed her support. Dipper had gone a month without it, and the effects were already starting to hit him hard. He almost didn't care if Stan hated him, although the thought did sting. If he had the support from his twin, then Dipper knew he'd be fine for the rest of this crazy adventure. "I just... I don't want you getting crazy, alright? Great Uncle Ford was incredible. You and I both know that. He was fun and squishy, just like how all old people should be. But I've seen how obsessed you can get with things, and I don't want this taking you away from your family. From me. I don't know what I'd do without you Dipper."

There wasn't any holding back. Dipper felt tears roll down his cheeks and drip onto his lap. He thanked his knack for crying in silence, even though he was sure that his sister knew he was sobbing. "I promise Mabel." He chuckled and wiped away a tear. "I'm not going anywhere. I just... I wanted to at least get some closure with everyone else. I know I pushed you all away, so I wanted to make it better."

A hug or anything from his sister would've made him feel like him old self. Just an adventurous kid who had tons of questions and the ambition to answer them. A kid who didn't stay up all night trying to figure out complex mysteries and played games with his twin. A small part of Dipper wanted to return to that old life. There was less worry and certainly less grief, but he was missing someone. His great uncle. Ford. He pushed aside his petty desires and listened to his sister. "Thank you Dipper. I'll always love you. And so do the rest of us. Please, never forget that." He heard her murmur softly into the phone, sounding a bit defeated. Mabel knew that his brother was probably going to do something stupid, yet she was too far away to stop him. She probably didn't even have the power to stop him without taking illegal measures now that he thought of it. Dipper may be frail, but he was probably much stronger than his sister. He hoped so at least.

"I won't." He promised to her, his voice sincere. Even if he'd continue on this journey, he would try to uphold that single promise. To never go away. Never push the family away. Dipper didn't think he wanted to anyways. The last month had treated him harshly, and now more than ever did he need the people he truly loved. Mabel. Stan. His parents. Old friends. "Thanks Mabel. I'll stay careful." There was a moment of silence before she replied, adding on a small, nervous giggle. "Yeah. Alright Dip Dop. You should probably call Grunkle Stan though. He's just as worried as me." She advised.

Dipper sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. That was much easier said than done. Mabel might have been accepting of what he was doing, but he highly doubted that Stan would. The best luck he would have is to talk to Stan without getting into an argument. Maybe he'd just end the conversation with a pat on the back and a bit of disappointment. It would be much more bearable than other fight. "No. I think I'll just... visit him." He decided, figuring that it'd be best to talk to the man face to face. After all, he wanted to get his point across clearly and precisely so that Stan would have less grounds to argue with him.

Oh great. He was already thinking about ways to outsmart Stan in an argument. This couldn't end up well. "That's a great idea! I hope you two make up- AH! Oh. Well, someone's kid is trying to kick my rosebush! The neighbors are just lovely! I'll talk to you later Dipper!" With that, the call ended before Dipper could even hang up. He was even mid-goodbye when the line went dead. He lowered the phone from his head with a heavy sigh. So far, the day didn't look so promising.

Still, he couldn't hide the grin on his face as he fell back onto the bed. Mabel had accepted him. She wasn't mad at all. A little disappointed, but what's that in a sea of shame? It was more than he could've hoped for and Dipper knew that it was wrong to disregard it and call this day an utter failure. It wasn't at all bad. Yet. There was still the matter of convincing his present great uncle to accept his new lifestyle that would probably last him more than a few years. This definitely wouldn't be a quick process, and Dipper had known that from the start. Finding an artifact like this... would be troublesome. It would only make it much more difficult to satisfy Stan.

Dipper pushed himself up and glanced out his window. There was still plenty of time in the day. He'd finish this up and then hopefully he'd have enough resolve to go and work some. Maybe he could write a paper and research some historical places of Bimini. That'd surely impress Bill.

His blush returned as he quickly stepped off from his bed and headed to the door. Now is not the time to be worrying about how to impress his boss. Dipper didn't deny it though.

He desperately needed some well earned approval.

* * *

Stepping into that old shop after a month brought up a multitude of emotions that Dipper didn't really feel like bothering with. Happiness. Nostalgia. Dread. Irritation. If he weren't so bothered by the fact that he hadn't a clue as to what he would say to Stan, then he may have attempted to sort through his varying thoughts. But he didn't have that luxury. Even through the long walk that he had taken many detours on, he still couldn't conjure a plan to address the matters at hand. The only thing he could feel was worry. A little bit of angst.

A familiar ringing sound interrupted his raging thoughts as he walked through the wooden and glass door. Dipper breathed in the musky air and looked about. It was just the same. Nothing much had changed except for a few of the items on the shelves, which he noticed his great uncle was currently restocking. It was strange seeing Stan work like that. Usually Dipper took up most of the jobs. There wasn't much to be done in all honesty. The place was hardly well-kept, but it made enough revenue to bring in new products and keep the place grounded. Dipper never recalled his job being overly taxing, but he doubted a man like Stan could run it all by himself without having an accident.

That's when he noticed the new addition to the workforce. A short man, probably only a few inches smaller than Dipper, stood at the counter. He was inspecting a small necklace that hung around his neck. It looked like it was gold, but Dipper wouldn't have been surprised if it was fake. The guy looked like a wannabe gang member. He wore a rock shirt that was clearly from some unknown local band that only very few knew about. Like those guys who showed up at stadiums and never even sold a single album. He had on faded blue jeans from what Dipper could tell. The counter shrouded his shoes, but Dipper could've sworn he heard the jingling of spurs coming from where his feet should be. Cowboy boots? It was an odd mash of mixed up clothes from varying locations, and the guy's white hair only made him stand out even more. He was pretty pudgy, with big round cheeks that reddened slightly for no real reason. Dipper noticed the small amount of freckles that dotted his face and a few scars that stood out on his arms. It made him believe that either this kid really was in a gang, or he was bullied as a kid and those were just remnants of past assaults.

In any case, he was quite sure that he'd never seen this man around town. He looked maybe 20. Baby-faces were deceiving though. Dipper could vouch for that. Whoever it was however didn't seem to pay Dipper any notice. He seemed quite invested in studying his necklace further, although Dipper found no significant value to it. He looked away from the albino boy and towards the crouched over Stan. He was actually wearing his old suit, like when the Pines twins were kids. Mister Mystery. He'd actually go into the woods and run tours with people. That's when the business was more well known. Stan would steal some of Ford's work, much to his dismay, and make new attractions out of it. Dipper even recalled Stan asking Mabel to craft him a paper mache Fountain of Youth in the woods. It ended up actually being a legitimate attraction until the rain showed up. Mabel was pretty depressed that her masterpiece was destroyed, but Stan found her a large ball of yarn in one of the local shops and soon she was back to her chipper self.

A fez sat proudly on top of his balding head as he hummed an out of tune melody under his breath in a gruff tone. Stan hadn't even noticed him yet, and Dipper actually considered just walking out before he even got a chance. He grounded his feet though. Dipper had manned up enough to get here, and he certainly wasn't backing down now.

"Stan?" He finally spoke up, his voice wary. Dipper cursed his nerves. If only he could be more abrasive and authoritative. He lacked the confidence however. Stan looked up from his squatting position and stood up, a sickening crack shooting through the air. The man grunted and stretched back, attempting to relieve some of his aches. Once he had straightened, he blinked several times. Could he really not believe that his nephew had come to visit? The question left his mouth feeling dry, guilt weighing heavily on him. "Dipper? What're you... Are you alright?" He finally asked, worry clearly visible on his already wrinkly face.

Dipper lowered his shoulders and attempted to relax. It would do him no good to be _this_ on edge when talking to his great uncle. There was already enough tension in the air between them. "Yeah." He managed, his tongue drying up. "I've been fine. Look, Stan..."

"It's alright, kid." His grunkle suddenly replied. "I know you're just trying your best. I should've supported you. Just, you've been acting awfully distant and weird. Like, more than usual. I had to intervene so I could help." The younger man nodded with a sigh. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, noticing that he had forgotten to grab his cap. Now that he realized it, Dipper hadn't seen his pine tree hat at all that day. Did Bill keep it? He shook his head. He'd figure it out later. "I completely understand." Dipper sighed. "And I came to apologize for just leaving like I did. It's in the past though, and I've got some big news."

This managed to raise a quizzical and grayed brow. "Shoot." He said, urging Dipper to continue. The older man found himself expecting something that wasn't supernatural surprisingly. A house. A new car. A new job. A girl friend? Stan wanted to laugh at that one. He already knew how horrible Dipper was with girls. Dipper took a deep breath and readied himself. "Remember... remember how I said I knew where Ford was?" Stan was silent, the words bringing up a familiar feeling of anger. He didn't look like he was about to interrupt his nephew though, so Dipper continued. "I have an actual lead on him. He's out there chasing a lost relic, and if I go find the relic, then I'm more than likely going to find him."

Stan's response wasn't quite as silent as Mabel's. No. Instead he decided to bust out laughing, as if this was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. Dipper's mouth twisted into a frown. There it was again. The laughing. What was next? Taunting? Maybe Stan would kick him out of the shop like he was some salesman who he wanted nothing to do with. "Look," Stan let out a few more chuckles before returning his focus back to Dipper. "Dipper. Do you have _any_ idea how crazy you sound right now? I know you knew my brother, but you didn't _know_ him. If you wanted my honest guess," he shrugged, "I think if Ford _did_ go out to find some crazy treasure or something, then he'd already be dead. Think about it Dipper, he's as old as _me_. I'm in pretty good shape for my age, but the hand of time doesn't always play nice on everyone. I doubt Ford got any of the good genes. I mean, he had six fingers for crying out loud!"

It almost sickened Dipper how easily Stan talked about the loss of his brother so easily. Was he really that cold? "Stan! You don't get it! I could find _something_! Anything! Don't you want to know if he's alive or dead?" Dipper rushed out, his thoughts scrambling. This was certainly not planned. At least Stan wasn't as guilt-tripping as Mabel. Hurting Mabel was almost like kicking a puppy. Stan sighed and inspected his nephew, as if to see if he was actually being serious. "I've accepted that Ford is gone, kid. In all honesty, he was a flat out jerk to me and the rest of the family. He loved you kids though, so I can see why you loved him."

"How can you even say that?!" Dipper exclaimed. "Ford was family. He was your _twin brother_! Why can't you just accept what I'm doing and give me some support for once?" He didn't mean to include that last bit, but he needed it out there. It was the truth. Never once had Stan supported his adventures or ideas. He just taunted him and tried to get him to do "what was best for the family". Wouldn't the best for the family be bringing the family back? Bringing Ford back and resolving all of the problems that his disappearance had caused?

His words seemed to set Ford off, and soon he found himself chest to chest with his great uncle. The man easily towered over him. His suit made him look much more muscled since it sucked in his gut. "Ford was no-good-know-it-all! He did nothing but abandon us with the whole world despising our family!" He shot back at Dipper, his expression serious and filled with hatred. "I loved Ford as my brother, but he turned his back on us when we needed him the most. That's why I can't support this ridiculous fantasy you have about finding him! He's left a legacy of shame."

Dipper felt his fist collide with his grunkle's cheek before he even processed the motion. The force surprised him, but he doubted it hurt Stan at all. His head snapped to the side, but it quickly shifted back as Dipper found Stan's hand knotted into his shirt, pulling him forward. He breathed like a monster onto Dipper's face, his expression contorted in anger. Yet the younger man noticed the flurry of emotions flashing through his mind. Stan clearly didn't know what to make of this situation.

Finally, his large hand loosened and Dipper stumbled back, eager to put some distance between them. Never in his life had he seen Stan react like that to something he did. The feeling of fear he held was something completely unfamiliar. Sure, he'd gotten into fights when he was younger. Usually it was to defend his families name if bullies decided to pick on him. He had Stan to thank for being rough on him some times, because it saved him the shame of losing fights. So yeah. Stan had been rough on him, but nothing quite like that. That was the sort of look Dipper expected Stan to give his business rival, Gideon Gleeful, when he decided to visit. Pure fury.

Dead air made its way in between them. Dipper could almost feel the tension. He desperately wanted to break it, but he couldn't formulate any words in his mouth. That entire moment had been much too quick for him to process. Surprisingly enough, it was Stan who spoke up. "I deserved that, didn't I?" He actually said, shocking Dipper entirely. That was the last thing he had expected to fall out of Stan's mouth. Was he... regretting what he said? Man. That was a first. Stan found himself sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, a look of something that Dipper couldn't quite determine stuck on his face. "I... shouldn't have said all that. Truth is Dipper," Stan began. "I've sort of pushed away Ford's death. It's just one of those things I thought would be better left alone. I know he's out there alive, and I believe what you're saying."

Somehow, he managed to gather his thoughts and form a response. Dipper took a step forward, his eyes locked on Stan. "Then why haven't you tried finding him? Why haven't you supported me this entire time? Don't you want this?" There were so many questions he wanted answered. Stan didn't have nearly all of them, but he could ask these. His great uncle brought his hand down to his side. "I do. Trust me Dipper, I want my brother back more than anything in the world. I doubt he'd thank me for finding him, and to be honest, I'd regret caring the moment I saw him. But even if I had your drive to go find him, I'm not smart enough. A lot of the stuff he did was all sciency and full of weird symbols." He turned his head towards some of the knickknacks on the shelves. "You're pretty intelligent, kid. I don't doubt that you could find him if you really wanted to, but I'm not ready... the family isn't ready for him to be back..."

His sentence trailed off, and Dipper wondering if he was trying to convince himself of something. It was clear though. Stan wanted his twin back, but he was still stuck in denial. He didn't know if it'd do him and the others good if Ford came back, and that was what scared him. Dipper had never seen his grunkle look so... human before. Stan was always so tough and knew exactly what to say almost always. This though... this was strange.

"Stan," Dipper spoke up, adjusting his outfit. "I'll find Ford for you."

Stan didn't reply. The older man was debating whether or not he should thank Dipper or attempt to convince him to stop chasing after Ford. Nothing formed in his mouth however. It was the first time in a very long while that Stan found himself at a loss for words.

Dipper began to walk towards the door. He didn't even notice that the white haired man at the counter was watching this entire scene unfold with a cheeky grin plastered to his pudgy face. And as the door opened and then closed, the man finally spoke up.

"You're too soft Stanley." He remarked with a squeaky little giggle. "Lil' Ol' Dipper is gonna get himself hurt!"

Stan shot a glare towards the man at the counter. "Can it, Gideon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a review dudes XD just one more burst-chapter~


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Planning for the next months

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY so IMPORTANT NOTE HERE! In this chapter they will basically be planning for the next couple of months, what they will be doing. Basically Bill is going to train Dipper's body. NOW, IF YOU'D LIKE LITTLE FLUFF CHAPTERS BEFORE I MOVE ONTO THE PLOT, NOW WOULD BE THE TIME TO VOICE THAT OPINION.  
> Next chapter is going to be the beginning of training- but chapter after that I'm going to skip right to the end of three months.
> 
> SO I REPEAT, if you'd like fluff episodes, please tell meh. 
> 
> THIS NOTE IS LIKE, REALLY IMPORTANT. If not, then I'm just going to move on with the plot.

The day after all of Dipper's family disputes had been resolved was the day Dipper realized that the world's greatest mysteries could not compare to the questions posed by Mindscape the moment he walked into Horus Bars. The biggest question of them all seemed to forever remain unanswered.

_How the hell is Mindscape even still a living, breathing organization?_

Another bottle was hurled across the room at a lethal speed. It shattered emptily against a wooden wall, the glass falling to the floor in varying sizes. That was probably the fifth or sixth bottle that had been flung in the past hour. Dipper had a lurking feeling that it would not be the last. After all, Kryptos didn't seem like he was going to stop screwing around with the drunkard anytime soon.

"Wouldya' stop _screaming_ the _fucking_ lyrics to 'My Heart Will Go On' in my _fucking_ ears?" Keyhole hissed at the scrawnier man who was currently attempting to avoid any hurdling objects. He'd been lucky enough to miss those first couple of bottles, but Keyhole's aim was getting better with each throw. That last one had shattered just in front of him. Kryptos seemed mock offended. "Screaming? Bloody hell, mate! I was singing!"

"THAT WASN'T _SINGING_!"

The British man tsked. "I'll have you know that my mother once told me that I was a lovely singer! 'The voice of an angel'!" He imitated his mother's voice, although it sounded like a very generic female imitation to Dipper. "You probably made her deaf from your other _attempts_ at singing!" Keyhole retorted, and so went the argument. It had been like that for nearly three hours now. Only during the first hour did the two manage to cooperate enough to offer any actual help.

Only three people remained to figure out where Mindscape should search first on their epic quest to find the legendary Fountain of Youth. Hectorgon, Bill, and then Dipper. The youngest man however was pre-occupied with watching the two rowdy members go at it. He wasn't ashamed to say that whatever Bill and Hector were talking about didn't interest him in the least. It was stuff involving finances. Figuring out where _they'd_ be staying, boats and rentals, areas _they'd_ be visiting...

They. He used that word in the loosest of terms. Dipper had begun to figure that Bill wouldn't want him along. Although he hadn't been paying much attention, the words "ruins" and "scuba-diving" had been filtered out of their conversation. Dipper wasn't an idiot. He knew that those were two things involved muscle mass. Something that he'd been regrettably lacking. With the amount of time he'd spent away from the gym and any form of physical activity, he would estimate that it'd take him nearly six to eight months to even become fit enough for those sorts of ventures. Surely Bill wouldn't want to spend that much time conditioning him.

To be honest, the idea of being left behind had sort of been pushed to the back of his head throughout the month. He didn't want to think too much about it, because in all honesty; he wanted to go. Dipper wanted to explore these new areas and find new treasures. He wanted to document the mer-people and other strange creatures in his own journal. It was seeming pretty unlikely now though. Dipper sighed.

He could at least hope.

A silence fell upon the table as Hectorgon began to type things into his laptop and write other things down on a yellow notepad beside him. Bill looked over the notes intently, briefly looking up at Dipper when he noticed the kid was distracted. This was the boring stuff. Finances. That's why he had his very own "ambassador" to figure it all out! Who was better suited for the job than a white-collared criminal, right? They were almost done with this portion though. Bill knew where he wanted to go _if_ they decided that Bimini was the place to be.

In all honesty, he'd been questionable of Bimini from the start. It was mostly due to the fact that the place really had been picked clean. Really. The only place of serious interest was the Bimini Roads. Researchers, scientists, and tourist had all gone through that place with the finest comb available. No sand particle remained untouched, and that's what drew him away. Not to mention the place could quite possibly just be a natural phenomenon. While it wasn't in his nature to immediately throw science into the mixture of the supernatural, he couldn't deny that the arrangement of bedrock was simply of natural cause.

Why was it in the journal then? Why Bimini? Perhaps it was simply just the legends of ancient Floridian natives telling Spanish explorers about the Fountain of Youth being located somewhere in Bimini that encouraged Ford to write it down. Perhaps they were referring to the so-called "healing wells" that resided in the waters there. Ford wasn't an idiot. Why had he put Bimini in his journal?

That's why he was planning out a trip there. The least they could do is talk to the mer-people there, right? Bill sighed and looked at Dipper fully, the boy eventually turning his head to meet his gaze. They looked at each other for a while before Dipper finally grew awkward from the stare. "So... when are we going to Bimini?" He asked, his throat a bit horse from not speaking for an entire hour. That was a good question, Bill mused. He didn't quite know himself. "I'm not sure, Pinetree. I don't even know if we will go. This could just be a dead end, and I don't want to waste my time." He replied. His tone suggested anything but disappointment to Dipper, but he still hung his head as if the suggestion was redundant and he should've known better. He had been absolutely no help today. Hell, he couldn't even help with _finances_. His great uncle was Stan for crying out loud! He sighed.

A hand clapped onto his shoulder not-so-helpfully. Dipper looked back towards the owner of the hand, finding it to be Kryptos. The man had glass shards in his messy strawberry-blonde hair, and the boy was surprised Keyhole hadn't already locked him in a headlock. "Ah! The young and eager!" The scrawny man added, his tone sounding too proud and demeaning than it should've been. "Too bad it's not that easy, but most people make _moronic_ and _hasty_ suggestions like that this early in the game. You'll get over it-"

"Shut the hell up, Kryptos." Keyhole interrupted. He had taken a seat a little whiles away, a new bottle in his hand. Dipper couldn't help but wonder where he was finding all of this liquor without even going behind the bar to grab some. "Stop trying to act like a know-it-all." Kryptos put a hand to his chest, as if offended. "Alright alright. I can take being called a 'jackass' and the 'cancer of Mindscape', but I _am_ a know-it-all. I am the holder of the-"

"Largest collection of information in the goddamned universe." Keyhole interrupted again, his eyes rolling as if he'd heard this a million times before. He had. "Even though that's complete and utter _bullshit, we know_." Bill chuckled at the bickering between his subordinates. "Don't you just love family time?" He asked with a wide grin, glad to have something else to do than look over finances.

"NO!" Came the immediate response of Keyhole. Kryptos moved away from Dipper and held his hands up in the shape of a heart to Keyhole. "But I love Keyhole-senpaaaiiii~"

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY?!"

Dipper went back to watching the two, slightly amused at this point. The two were like siblings. A smile lingered on his lips as he thought about Mabel once more. Yesterday had been such a relief. Bill notices his gleeful expression and can't help but wonder what he's thinking about. Hopefully him.

"Well," Bill stood up from his chair. "Looks like they've got this sorted for now! C'mon Pinetree! I need to tell you something." Dipper looked back at Bill, slightly wary of where this was going. He had that sort of grin that Dipper could only trace back to the day he first met Bill. Yep. He's definitely got something planned.

Nonetheless, he followed Bill. The older man led him to what looked to be a storage closet. It was anything but that however. When they opened the door, Dipper found himself gazing upon stacks and stacks of paperwork. There was no furniture in the room. Just a gross looking carpet and a ton of dead trees. Bill closed the door after he had stepped in. Dipper didn't notice. He was busy trying to figure out what these papers were. Bank statements, receipts... he even managed to spot a deed to 2000 acres of land in Oregon.

"Alright kid. Go ahead and undress." Bill's voice echoed through the room, his words practically ringing in Dipper's head. The boy reeled on his feet to look Bill dead in the eye. His throat went _very_ dry. "W-What?" Dipper asked, his eyes practically bulging out of his sockets.

Cipher was pleased with the reaction. Oh man! This kid was a riot! "I don't need to repeat myself, Pinetree." He replied, going back to lean against the wall. Bill crossed his arms over his chest with a smug sort of look on his face. Dipper's face flushed. Why the hell was he asking him to undress?! "That's bullshit Bill," Dipper managed, glad that he didn't stutter. Maybe this past month was helping him out with his confidence. "Give me a r-reason to undress." Guess not.

There was a splitting smile on Bill's face, and Dipper couldn't help but wonder how his face hadn't just split in half then and there. "I need to know strong my little Pinetree is!" He replied, as if that cleared up the whole issue. Dipper blinked and motioned for him to go on, still not convinced. Bill rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms. "C'mon kid! You should know how hard it is to raid tombs! I don't know where this'll lead us, but it certainly isn't anywhere for the weak. You do want to explore with us, right?"

His words came as a shocker.

_Wait... Bill wants me to go with him on the trip?_

It was as if a wave of relief had washed over him. There was actually a reason to be excited about all of this, besides the obvious of course. Quickly, Dipper reached down to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He was _fully_ convinced now. He rid of his clothes besides his undergarments, thankful that he had actually removed those lamby boxers from his drawers. It would be horrible if Bill got a glimpse of those again...

It didn't stop him from commenting lecherously however. "Ah. I remember those ones." He remarked, happy that it got Dipper blushing more than he already was. The man walked forward to the slumped Dipper, now noticing how horrible his posture was. It must've been a habit by now. The kid didn't look like he had a whole lot of confidence, much less a reason to look good for others. Plus, hours and hours of research couldn't be helping his situation either. Bill placed a hand on Dipper's stomach then the other onto his back, forcing him to stand up straight. "Tsk tsk, Pinetree. You really are a scrawny thing!" He hummed thoughtfully while Dipper held back his toxic replies. He really couldn't deny it, but he didn't approve to be calling weak by anybody. Especially Bill.

After about three minutes, Dipper began to feel uncomfortable under Bill's gaze. Not that he wasn't already feeling awkward to begin with, but Bill seemed to be enjoying looking at his nearly nude body too much. "So," he broke the silence. "How much work is this going to take?" The boy was already placing his bets. Six months. Maybe an entire year. It would be some long time that Bill certainly wouldn't want to deal with- "I'd say about three months at most." He wagered.

"Three months?!" Dipper sputtered, surprised at the miniscule number. "How?!"

"Easy." Bill smirked and walked up to Dipper, closer than he already was, and placed a hand on the side of his cheek. He tensed at his touch. "Pyronica will just dose you with some of her more special medications." The statement instantly sparked fear inside of him. Medications? He shuddered. Dipper already knew Pyronica was intelligent, but he didn't know if he _trusted_ her to give him something that would boost his ability to gain muscle- wait! Were these...

"You're going to give me steroids?!" He managed. "Man, _what_?!" Bill couldn't be serious! Dipper may drink occasionally, he may do stupid shit, but not something _illegal_ (he disregarded the fact that he's broken into multiple research areas to explore)! "Relax Pinetree." Bill rolled his eyes, gold glinting off of them. "Pyronica isn't going to kill you. Think of it as caffeine; it'll keep you going. It's not addictive either."

This didn't satisfy Dipper in the _least_ , but he sucked up his other complaints and remained quiet. He had to constantly remind himself that this was in fact a criminal organization (even if they only did petty crimes), and that it was his own choice to stick around. Even if this did seem entirely too wrong and upsetting, Dipper supposed that he would just have to deal with it. Progress would take time. It only made sense that Bill wanted to speed up progress.

"... Fine." He gave in, crossing his arms over his chest. Bill smirked and patted the other's cheek bigotedly. "Atta' boy. Now get dressed so we can settle this out. I've decided that we're going to check out Bimini in about three months." The man stated as he moved away from Dipper. The younger blinked at him before remembering how naked he was. "Oh! Right!" Dipper quickly scooped up his clothes and threw them back on, his hair looking tousled afterwards.

Bill chuckled and watched Dipper hastily make himself decent again. The kid was all flustered from his staring. It was absolutely adorable. _Wait_. Bill shook his head. Nope! Play time later. Now was the time for business. He couldn't stop the grin on his face however. "C'mon kid. We don't have all day."

"Actually," Dipper buckled his belt. "I believe we do." Bill didn't have much of a retort for that. He wouldn't mind at all if his partner took his time getting dressed or if he had to stay in here all day watching him do so. Time was of essence though. "Whatever you say kid. Let's go." He suddenly pushed open the door and Dipper hastily managed to zip up his pants before the others caught him with his fly down.

Not that they would've noticed him anyways.

Kryptos was currently doing his impression of a cat; sitting haphazardly on top of one of the beams supporting the ceiling. In his hand was a laser pointer that was currently aimed directly into the eyes of Keyhole. The older man was screaming bloody murder, attempting to find the scrawnier human. Nope. His vision must be blurred, because he was stumbling around like a blind man. This only served to amuse Kryptos, although he did look a bit shaken from being supported by only a single wooden beam on a ceiling.

"Get down here ya' devil!" Keyhole hissed, looking around wildly. He stumbled into a table and the whole thing shook upon impact. Ouch. That'd leave a mark, Dipper thought to himself. Kryptos raised a hand to his lip and tapped thoughtfully, instantly regretting it as his form began to swing. He was quick to secure his arms around the beam, one of his hands still flicked out to point the little laser pen. "Um. How about... nooo?" The strawberry-blonde drawled teasingly.

The shouting went on, and Dipper was slightly interested in seeing where it led, but he soon noticed that Bill was no longer by his side. The man had wandered over to Hector, who was looking over his screen intently. Bill hung over him, a hand placed onto his beefy shoulder as his eyes scanned over the screen. "I've got all the expenses taken care of then," Hector informed. He raised a hand to his mouth, taking out the thick cigar that was wedged between his lips and puffed out a cloud of smoke. The smell made Dipper's nose scrunch up in distaste, but Bill hardly reacted at all.

"Good. Make them available in three months." Bill decided. He lifted his hand off of Hectorgon's shoulder and straightened his posture. Gold eyes flicked towards Dipper. "Pyronica will be back in about a week. We'll start training then." He smirked. "I hope you're ready for a long, _long_ couple of months with loveable me."

"You aren't as loveable as you'd like to think."

"I'm hurt!" Bill exclaimed, clutching his chest where his heart was located dramatically.

"AH NO!" A British voice exclaimed. All heads turned towards the cry. Keyhole had finally caught Kryptos and was holding him in a bone crushing headlock. "Can't we, uh... settle this dispute like gentlemen, mate? Ah... haha..." He laughed nervously as he watched Keyhole raise an empty vodka bottle. ".. that bottle in your hand is a good sign, right?"

Let's just say;

No it was not.

* * *

The rest of the week could mostly be described as, well, normal. Bill and Dipper returned to their original research, the only difference being that most of the work was done at the bar. It was quiet and nice for the first couple of days until Pyronica returned. From what Bill had told Dipper, she had been out in Alaska collecting a special type of fish? He didn't understand it himself until Bill informed him it was payment for visiting the mer-people of Bahamas, that is. Dipper didn't think that there would be a process to finding these mer-people; but after a little bit of thought, it made sense. He asked questions about the fish and wrote down what he could gather from Bill. At some point, the blonde actually got tired of his perpetual questions. Or rather, _Keyhole_ got upset and started throwing things again. It seemed to be a common theme with him.

Eventually Dipper turned to Xanthar, who had also gone on the trip with Pyronica. Dipper didn't know if he liked the way she looked at him, so he opted to stay away. The bigger man was _much_ more likeable.

True to his appearance, Xanthar turned out to be an actual hiker. He spent his past traveling mountains and getting lost in the woods. The man actually told Dipper the story of how he met Bill. He was stranded in a ruin, freezing to death, when Bill happened along and took him in. He called Bill a "demon among men", because while he did save his life, it came at the price of his eternal servitude. Not that Xanthar really minded. He didn't have much of a family besides a few college friends that he contacted from time to time. Mindscape had become his home, and it allowed him to continue doing the things he loved. Dipper could appreciate that.

They got along well while Bill did other things. Mostly discussing things with the others in hushed tones. Dipper didn't really care about what he was saying or doing because he was so intrigued by Xanthar's precious information on the supernatural. Although, the boy occasionally caught Bill staring at him longingly, and then glaring at Xanthar. Dipper scoffed. It's almost as if he was jealous of him being someone with else. Bill did seem like the attention hog though.

Besides the occasional bar fight and story, that was all that occurred during that week. It flew by too fast for Dipper in his opinion. After all, big things would be happening soon and he was in no position to be stopping them. Why should he? This was something he'd always dreamed about. Maybe it wasn't _exactly_ this, but damn was it close. Exploring. Finding Ford. Getting ripped in the process.

He didn't really want to think about how whimsical he was being, of course. Naturally it wouldn't be as easy as he's making it out to be, but when was it ever?

In any case, Dipper had things to look forward to. _Especially_ after the end of that week.

_The house_

If you've ever remodeled your home before to make it look absolutely different, then you'd know the excitement and curiosity that came with it right as you walk through that front door.

"Well!" Bill spread his arms out before him as the two walked onto the nearly new property. "Whad'ya think Pinetree?"

The two had walked all this way to see the remodeled home. It was... gorgeous, to say in the least. Not to imply that it wasn't already a magnificent house before, but this one was just elegant in a different sense. Luxurious in all of the right ways while maintaining a warm, homey feeling.

It modeled a decent sized plantation house with white walls and pillars in front of the door. The first thing Dipper noticed though was that there was a new building off to the side of it. Squinting to peer through the window, he noticed that it was a _library_. There were shelves and couches and it looked like just the right amount of sun was seeping in through the window.

_Incredible_

The architecture of it all was just astoundingly beautiful. It looked so peaceful and...

Dipper turned on Bill, and before he knew it, the man had already wrapped his arms around the other's torso in thanks. "Bill... thank you so much..." He murmured into Bill's shoulder. The scent of lilies invaded his senses and, once again, Dipper found himself intoxicated by the smell.

Bill cracked a smirk and let his hands wander a little bit lower than Dipper's back. "Maybe I should do nice things for you more often, kid. I could get used to this." He replied huskily.

That instantly shut Dipper down. Before Bill could even blink, the boy had pushed himself away with a heavy blush lingering on his cheeks. He was at a loss for words, but quickly came up with a topic change. "H-Hey! How about we check it out!" He offered, voice cracking in the process. Dipper cursed his stupid voice.

He began to walk faster towards the house, not noticing that Bill had stayed behind for just a moment more. The kid really was twee, he mused. Sadly, now was not the time to play. They had training to get to... but maybe after that. Maybe after Bimini...

It wasn't worth his time now, he decided. Bill trekked forward and finally came up behind Dipper as he stepped up the newly added steps to the house. They were made of cement and were pristinely white. Obviously Dipper and Bill were the first to ever set foot on them. It was strangely satisfying.

Dipper was nearly nose-to-wood with the door. He was staring at the milky glass window that opened up into a dark hallway. It was the same structure as before. Just...

"Well," Bill urged. "Go on kid. Outside is nice and all, but inside is where all the fun is." Dipper glanced at him through the corner of his eye, blush still evident on his cheeks. Even though his feelings of being flustered had all but vanished, he couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling of adventure pooling in his chest. He pushed his embarrassment to the side. No. He was much too curious.

Slowly he pushed open the door. No creak came like it had before. New door. Dipper peered inside and the first smell that invaded his nose was the distinct chemical smell of paint. New house.

_It's all so..._

"I wonder what Ford would think," he muttered as he walked forward into the house. Just the foyer alone could've satisfied him. Yet, there was an entirely different house beyond that. "He'd probably smack me upside the head." Bill came up beside him. "He was damn proud of this house, if I recall correctly." Dipper nodded in response, a smile on his lips. "Yeah. He built it himself."

The two just gazed about for a second before Dipper swallowed his pride. "Um... Bill?"

"Yeah kid?"

"..thanks," he managed after a long moment of silence. "For all of this. It's... more than I could ever offer to you."

Hmph. "Yeah right, Pinetree." Bill snorted. "There are more things in this world that you could offer to me that'd make all of this seem like me loaning you a dollar for snacks."

He sat on that statement for a second, wondering whether or not he should ask Bill what he meant and what he would want in return. His words fell short in his mouth however as Bill darted up the first flight of steps.

"But enough of that! C'mon Pinetree! This house isn't going to explore itself!"

* * *

Nighttime soon fell upon the magnificent home. Not too long after, Dipper found himself completely alone within his new abode. The darkness was well welcomed. After all, Dipper was quite accustomed to it.

Even though he was in the middle of the woods, alone, in a dark home, he couldn't help but feel absolutely at peace. It was an odd feeling. He didn't feel watched or like someone may break in to steal his work. No. Just... safe.

Maybe it was because this was old childhood home. Whatever the case, Dipper had never felt more secure in his entire life. He hoped that feeling would last longer.

It was around 10 o'clock when Dipper decided he desired some company. He Skyped his sister over his phone and eagerly showed her the new house, making her promise that she wouldn't tell Stan about it. Mabel was okay to internet pinky-swear it, but Dipper found himself being bombarded by questions like.

"Sooo... who bought it for you?"

"Is there a secret woman I need to know about-? No? Man maybe..."

"Tell me about this maaaaaan of yours!"

The endless teasing was not helping him in any sort of way, but he was glad to hear his sisters voice. Even if it was just her teasing him about Bill. Speaking of which, had he even told her about Bill? No, he hadn't, had he? Just his name. Once.

Dipper considered mentioning it again, or telling her about Bill, but decided against it. He had to remind himself that Bill was in fact a leader of a secret society. Secrets weren't meant to be shared, and Mabel, with her extraordinary skill as a loud mouth, would spread that information like butter on toast. He could only rely on her to promise not to tell Stan about the house because... well, it was Stan. Mabel knew when it mattered. Despite her flamboyant personality, she wasn't stupid by a long shot. She may not be as book smart as Dipper but she was open minded and definitely intuitive. She knew. But she didn't know Bill. Leaking that information could surely get him into trouble.

So he opted out.

"Bye Dipping Sauce! Have fun with _hiiiiimm_ ~"

"Mabel-!" He cursed as the screen went blank, and he was left alone again. A blush was hot on his cheeks as he ran a hand through his wet hair. He'd taken a shower before this, and still his hair was damp. Ah well.

Dipper yawned and turned off his phone. His bedroom was upstairs where he and Mabel used to sleep as kids. Bill probably set up the interior design that way just for that reason. He stumbled up the steps, feet dragging from fatigue before making it to the room. Just like he had done a million times before, he shrugged the door open- or tried to. Normally that door would just creak open without even turning that knob. The broken lock was probably fixed, he thought.

Old habits die hard, as they say. Dipper reached down and turned the handle. He opened up the room to the familiar light of the moon. This was the room that had hardly changed at all. The only difference was that there was only a single full sized bed in front of the window, rather than the two twin beds that used to be pushed up against the sides of the room. There was still a box of things Dipper needed to unpack into the room sitting in the corner, lonely and untouched. He'd finish this up later. It's not as if he doesn't have time. This place was definitely seeming like a permanent home to him, so there was going to be plenty of opportunities to fully move in.

That's why he didn't waste a single moment swinging himself into bed. The comforter was soft against his skin and the firmness of the bed instantly relieved his aching muscles. Oh maaaaannn... "That feels great..." He groaned out, content with just remaining in that bed for however long his life would last. Not to mention the coolness of the sheets... oh this was a _much_ needed improvement to his broken air conditioner. Yep.

He could get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one you guys -w- btw I'm a genius. I used HTML format or whatever and screwed the whole transfer thing up. Soooo yep. Tech savvy me here. Hello -w- I fixed it tho so all is well


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of training-- and a little peak into what's in store -w-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter yesterday, but I didn't get around to editing it soooo yeah. Sorry that this chapter is short ;w; I felt rushed to publish something since I missed last week due to AP. BUT now it's here-- and I hope you guys enjoy ;w; 
> 
> BTW THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMMENTING LIKE DEAR GOD I'M ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING RIGHT

"Bill... can we please... take a break or something... I'm hungry..." Dipper panted out as his legs pumped heavily below him. The entire lower half of his body was becoming absolutely numb to the foreign feeling of exercise. It was started to concern him how painful this actually was. Was he dying?

The increasingly bloody taste in his mouth made him wonder if he actually was. Maybe he was just close to reaching his overexertion level. Although he wasn't entirely sure if Bill would even let him stop if he did begin to pass out. The man would probably come over and attempt to slap him awake. In any case, Dipper was _very_ sure he didn't want to leave his unconscious body under the supervision of Bill Cipher. Not that he hadn't done it plenty of times before. Falling asleep. Getting drunk. Oh God. How did Dipper even let that happen? He left himself alone and vulnerable to Bill so many times before...

_Nope. Never again._

With that disturbing thought in mind, he pushed forward. His pace slowed ever so slightly as he watched Bill ride a motorcycle in front of him. Of course HE wasn't the one running. Noooo. The wind would ruin his _perfect_ hair.

_I'd like to see that asshole run like this for a full hour_

Bitter thoughts fueled his legs, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep him from fatiguing.

"What was that Pinetree?" Bill called with an overly obnoxious grin plastered onto his face. Oh, he was enjoying this. Was torturing Dipper with horrible exercises going to be his daily pastime for the next few months? If it was, then Dipper would make sure to grow his muscles out just so he could uppercut Bill something fierce. Hopefully he'd break that perfect jaw. Or at least cause a nasty bruise that would last for a long, _long_ time.

"I said that-" Dipper stumbled, his legs giving for barely a second. Oh God. "Bill can we take a break!" He shouted again. Hopefully that moron would realize that Dipper was not up for any of his stupid jokes. The blonde clearly heard him this time and dramatically rolled his eyes. "Fine. Meet me at the bar!" Was his reply before Bill sped off on his bike.

_Okay well at least he heard- WAIT THE BAR IS ALL THE WAY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN!_

Yep. It was now his new resolution. Fucking _murder_ Bill Cipher when all this bullshit was over. No remorse whatsoever. Regardless, he saw his opportunity for some rest and food. His body needed it badly. Especially the latter. Dipper had hardly a breakfast at all thanks to _Bill_. The guy had practically broke into his house and woke him up. Or... well, he had the key to the house, just as he always did, but he didn't even notify Dipper he was coming. He wasn't even awake!

All he knew is that he woke up with Bill literally _straddling_ him and watching his sleeping form. It was creepy as hell. Not to mention he kept on staring even after he realized Dipper was awake. Only after the younger had practically thrown him off the bed did he look away.

It only got worse as the morning progressed. Bill had _shoved_ him into the shower and demanded that Dipper get showered while he made breakfast. Now, it would seem like a nice gesture at first, but obviously "nice" wasn't part of Bill's vocabulary. No. Instead he decided that he'd let Dipper shower for ten minutes and fix only a meager bowl of cereal. _Without_ milk, might he had. There wasn't even a spoon or anything laid out for him. Could this guy not even make a _real_ breakfast?

Dipper supposed that he was sounding like a whiny kid who didn't get his way, but _fuck_ , shouldn't he be allowed a good breakfast when he was literally going to burn it all off in the next couple of hours? His entire meal this morning had gone nearly half an hour ago. Bye bye. See you later.

Now he was left feeling empty, aching, and overall _terrible_. And who was to blame? Yep. Bill _fucking_ Cipher.

And now he guessed he'd have to run an extra mile to make it to the bar. Just great.

* * *

When Dipper Pines finally arrived at "Horus", the bar, he found that it was much more packed then it usually was. Or, more packed then it was the previous week. Dipper realized that Bill must've shut the whole place down for a week so that they could study in peace. Now that they had a new base of operations, Dipper's new house, Bill could re-open the building. He didn't recognize many of the faces besides maybe a couple he'd seen in town. None of them were overly familiar- and he certainly didn't know their names. The only face he did manage to recognize and name was that of Pyronica, who stood in her usual place cleaning the bar.

Her dreads today were tied into a pony tail, but other than that she looked like her usual self. She noticed his arrival at the sound of a dinging bell strung on the door. "Ah. Hello Mister Pines." She greeted with a smile, although it seemed forced and challenging in an intellectual way. Dipper really wondered if everyone was on the same side. People like Pyronica and Keyhole made it all very questionable.

At the mention of his name, Bill came around a corner looking _fresh_ and _rested_. Angry thoughts pooled in Dipper's mind as he watched the blonde saunter towards the counter with an intentional amount of obnoxiousness. "Take a seat Pinetree! It's time for your first dosage."

Pyronica nodded, her smile turning into something close to a smirk. "Ah yes. Mister Cipher has informed me 'dat you were thirsty." She tacked on, her voice sounded _way_ too pleased.

"I said I was hungry."

"Go ahead and get the pills Pyronica!" Bill simply ignored his statement. What were they even talking about with his "dosage"? Was this the steroid medication thing he'd be taking to boost his muscles? Oh God if it was...

The woman disappeared as she leaned below the counter to grab something. There was the familiar sound of a refrigerator door being pulled open, and Dipper wondered if there had always been a minifridge there. He's never had to use it in any case. She brought out a carton of milk, along with a bag filled with tiny blue pills. They didn't have any numbers or symbols stamped onto them, so it occurred to him that these were homemade.

_Oh no..._

Everything about this entire situation seemed wrong to him. Steroids. Pills. Pills from people he'd only known for about a month and a half. Questionable pills that he probably don't even know the effects of. Which Dipper doesn't. Yep. Definitely not a good idea.

Regardless, he allowed her to place the questionable drugs in front of him and a tall glass of milk. Dipper sat rigid, completely unsure of whether or not he should be doing this. In fact, he _knew_ that he shouldn't be doing this. Hell, if Mabel were here, she'd slap him across the face for even remotely considering this. Nope. He's not doing this if he doesn't have to. "Are you sure I have to do this?" He tried one last attempt at escaping this madness.

Bill tilted his head towards Dipper challengingly. He was already wearing a snide look before, but his smirk and facial expressions were way too ecstatic to look human. No. Bill Cipher looked like an absolute _demon_. Dipper supposed it wasn't far from the truth. "Swallow some pills? Well I mean, we could always deposit the medication up your rectum if you're _that_ finicky." Bill practically leered.

...

That was _easily_ enough to convince Dipper to swallow all that was given to him. He downed the pills in one gulp and took several more chugs to finish off his calcium enriched beverage. A small burp escaped his lips, but he didn't attempt to hide it. Bill chuckled at his rushed compliance and Pyronica could only lean on the counter looking satisfied. Dipper didn't know the exact reason for it, but the woman almost looked as if she was expecting something. He didn't know what. Was she waiting for a side effect? Or for him to throw it all back up? The milk wasn't necessarily bad. It tasted like vanilla, and that definitely wasn't horrible. The pills went down easy enough; so what was she playing at?

His boss came up behind him and harshly patted Dipper on the back, earning a few small grunts. Bill laughed loudly, "See! Told you there wasn't much to it!" The younger shot him a look but smiled back nonetheless. Yeah. That wasn't all that bad! It was just a couple of pills! If this was what he thought was going to be the worst of it, then the rest of these few months would be an absolute _breeze_.

Bill's chuckling died down after a moment as he let out a few small laughs. "Well..." He began, looking off the side. Well? Dipper certainly didn't like the way he said that word. Well. As if he was going to add onto it. Well. Well...

His stomach took a sudden turn. It was an aching sensation that made him double over, hands flying to his mouth as he tried to keep in the impending vomit.

Well.

Dipper bolted to the bathroom in the back. The walls muffled the sounds of him dry heaving, but Bill still listened for the sounds of his little one suffering. Ah. What a sweet sound. The man looked at Pyronica and rolled his eyes. "First few times make you sick, but it'll get better. Did I get that right Pyronica?"

The woman offered her own small cackles. "I'm a little surprised you listened to me, Bill." She used his actual name. Pyronica leaned further onto the counter, though this time she leaned towards Bill. Her gaze was locked with his own as she continued. "I'm not used to you being so _generous_."

Bill knew exactly where that one was going. Oh no. She was suspicious again. He sighed internally, not wanting to make it seem like he was irritated by her constant questioning. That crazy woman would just get even more apprehensive. Normally he wouldn't care about a little distrust, but Pyronica was too important right now. Just as she had always been. He opted for his best course of action.

Just leave.

"Don't get used to it." He returned back at her, shooting her a malicious smile, even though she knew he had no intention of harming her. Or- well she didn't quite know. Bill had a weird way of hurting people, and you'd be hard pressed to figure out when he was going to do it. Pyronica shook off the look as purely playful though. Bill moved towards the door and held it open for himself, leaning into the building before saying, "Take care of Pinetree for a bit! Tell him I'll be out for the rest of the day doing errands. _Sayonara_!"

With that, he waltzed out of the building to his next location.

After all, it was about time he visit his old family home.

* * *

It seemed like forever before Dipper finally emerged from the bathroom. He looked absolutely pale and sickly, not to mention a foul odor lingering in his breath. He had rinsed his mouth out multiple times, even considering using soap to get rid of the horrible smell, but nothing seemed to be working. Dipper supposed he'd just have to live with the bad taste and smell till he got home to brush his teeth.

Ugh. Bill would probably make him walk home too.

It would probably be just as horrible as he would think, considering that his muscles were already starting to ache. He also doubted that this medication would take effect any time soon. He'd bet money that all that was consumed was thrown up into the toilet by now. His body probably didn't even register those pills. Well, maybe it had. They certainly were fast acting in making him sick.

Dipper made his way to the counter again, where Pyronica had remained. It had been about 15 minutes or so since Bill had left. She hadn't expected Dipper to come out any time soon, and the fact that he was done spitting up his stomach so quickly slightly impressed her. The others, especially Kryptos, had spent nearly a day wallowing in agony as their stomachs turned against them in the worst of ways. Maybe Dipper would experience some more pains later, but for now she admired his immunity to this stuff. It'd serve him well in the next few weeks.

The woman watched as he came towards her, eying his sickly form with a slight bit of interest. He took notice of this, making sure not to drop his guard in front of Pyronica. She was a clever woman after all. Even in his sick state he couldn't let her get to him.

Ironic considering he just accepted mysterious pills from her no less than half an hour ago.

"Feeling better, I assume?" She drawled, leaning onto the counter as he approached. Dipper took a seat directly in front of her and slouched. "That was terrible," a small laugh escaped his lips. "What's it even supposed to do?" Pyronica straightened and reached under the counter, grabbing a bottle of something and uncorking it. She poured out a smooth looking wine into one of two glasses that seemingly appeared on the counter. Dipper blinked. Oh God. Now he was disorientated. He felt close to passing out too. Pyronica noticed this and halted in pouring the second glass. "Looks like someone is dehydrated." She remarked before setting aside the wine and her own filled glass. She went to behind her and reached down into a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of water.

Soon the water was in Dippers hands, and then seconds after the cool liquid was traveling down his scratchy and dry throat. It didn't take him long to finish off the entire bottle, and _boy_ did he feel better. Exercising and then throwing up everything in his body definitely took all of the water out of him. No wonder he was feeling so poorly.

Pyronica handed him another bottle and he began to sip this one slower, savoring its coolness. He had completely forgotten about the question, and the Jamaican woman's voice cutting through the silence reminded him. "It's more or less a, uh, steroid." She deadpanned. Well duh, he wanted to remark. Dipper refrained from the rude comment however. "As you've probably guessed, it will boost your 'drive' and make gaining muscle mass simpla'."

Drive? Well. He nodded his head and swished a small amount of water around in his mouth, the taste of bile still lingering. He silently hoped she wasn't bothered by it. Pyronica really shouldn't be. After all, she did run a bar. "Do all of your... medications," he fought off the urge to call her drugs a harsher name, "make you sick?" He finished. The woman's sly smile never faltered. "Not all. 'Dis is one of my stronger concoctions. Your recovery is actually quite remarkable."

"Ah."

A silence fell in between them. Dipper had nothing more to say, although he considered requesting some food. He was absolutely _famished_ , but he wasn't so sure he wanted to ingest anything else Pyronica had to offer.

"You aren't planning to do anything with Mister Cipher."

It came out as more of a statement rather than a question, Dipper noticed. He also noticed how intently Pyronica was staring at him. Had she always been doing that? Her dark brown eyes seem to flash with a great deal of interest, although he couldn't quite discern if it was good or bad. It was definitely different from the teasing look she was giving him before. "... huh?" He managed, taken aback by the statement. Funny enough, he felt the heat in his body rise to his cheeks.

A grin broke out on her face. The teasing look returned, but it was a mix of the previous expression she held just seconds before. This was amusing to her. "You are such a naïve little boy. Have you not da' way he looks atchu'?"

No. Evidently he had not. Or... Well...

_You have_

"What are you talking about?" Dipper choked out, looking absolutely flustered although he desperately tried to hide it. The look on her face persisted. "Bill is just being creepy!" He attempted to reason, but the laughter was already escaping her lips. Dipper's face turned beet red as he tried to defend his shame. UGH! Is this woman insane? Bill is annoying! And attractive. But annoying and merciless! And charming-

"I would never be interested in someone like Bill Cipher!" He practically spat at her, furious now at her teasing. This was ridiculous! Why was she even asking him this? It was beyond idiotic!

Her smile lessened into something more sincere and soft. Pyronica looked at the dark wood of the counter and murmured, "'Dat is good to hear." Her change in tone came as a shocker to Dipper. Was she glad to hear that nothing was going on between him and Bill?

_Maybe she has a thing for Bill_

Dipper scoffed. He couldn't see why. Okay. He'd be the first to admit it. Bill was an enjoyable person to be around at times, and he wasn't that bad looking; but the simple fact was that he was literally _insane_ and incredibly obnoxious. He didn't quite know if he liked what he was hearing however. Dipper didn't let it trouble him.

Instead he halted all his unanswered questions. "I think I should be heading home," he said finally, glancing at the clock in the corner. It was almost lunch time. Good. He needed some food. Pyronica nodded, but stopped to click her tongue, as if remembering something. She reached down below the counter yet again and pulled out a large pill bottle that Dipper assumed was filled with his new medications. "One every day," she instructed. "No more, no less. Unless you are interested in your liver failing."

Dipper took up the bottle and held it close. "It's definitely not on my 'to-do' list." He replied, getting up from his seat. Pyronica chuckled and nodded towards him. "Bill left to take care of some errands. He said da' rest of da' day was yours to keep."

It was then that Dipper noticed Bill was indeed missing. Huh. Nice how quiet it had gotten, although it was a bit awkward with only Pyronica around. "Alright then." He said as he turned to leave. "Have a nice day."

Pyronica didn't wave him off. She instead took a long sip of her untouched wine. It was smooth, just like she had hoped. Mmm. "You too, _fi mi sweet_."

* * *

Dark room. Cold hands. Pale face.

Bill Cipher stood and watched the ill man breathe in shaky breaths.

How sad.

How horribly sad.

The boy was sat up, forced to stay in that same position so that he could take in adequate oxygen. Even so, a dolly sat nearby with an oxygen tank for him.

This was the final stage.

How long did Bill have?

Not long enough.

How terrifically sad.

This place smelled like death, and not the kind he liked to surround himself with. No. This was actually _depressing_ death. A dying man who could be the only thing that Bill Cipher loved in this world. The only person he had ever truly worked for. The person who practically _dictated_ his life. Every second of the day.

 _Him_.

No one knew. No one knew this terrible burden Bill Cipher had. No one. Ever. Not even his parents. No. Not even them. They who failed to even wake up after abandoning Cipher and this poor, poor man with nothing but a few warehouses and an old house. Bill Cipher made the most of it. He turned his family into a legend. A name to be feared, even though they had already been a force to be reckoned with.

"B... Bill."

"Yeah?"

"You're not over... ov... over-" He violently coughed for a moment before placing a weak hand on his slowly rising chest. "Ov... er... stressing are you?"

"Hm."

_Mindscape_

"Hm?"

_Ford_

"Will."

_Pinetree_

"Yeah?"

_The Foutain of Youth_

"Of course not."

_I do it all for you_

...

"That's... su... such a relief."

* * *

Dipper couldn't wait much longer for food. He opted to going to one of the local diners in the town, one that was close by of course. It was a place that he had often visited in his early life. The lady who ran the place, Lazy Susan, knew him and his family quite well. She was one of the very few people who didn't criticize the Pines family. Dipper liked to think that she was just kind that way, but he knew that it was mostly just her... inability to _remember_ the events that occurred several years ago. She'd suffered from some serious trauma a few years back. No one really knew why, but it had been the town talk for a few months. People made up crazy stories about her that all in all seemed pretty ridiculous after hearing it for the tenth time.

No one had figured it out though, and for now, she just remained a harmless old woman. She greeted Dipper kindly and he was quick to get a tall stack of pancakes (even though it was lunch) and a cup of coffee (he needed it badly). He made very short work of those two things, glad to have his stomach filled by the end of it. Dipper praised himself that he had brought along his wallet with him for the run. Probably not the smartest thing, considering that he probably would've dropped it had he run any longer. It seemed like he had made the right decision though. He left the diner feeling happy and rejuvenated. And it was only just into the afternoon! He still had a day ahead of him.

What he would do for the rest of his time remained unknown to him. Bill probably wouldn't be back for a while, considering his errands could keep him away for the entire day. Depended on what it was though. There was no telling now, since Dipper had absolutely no clue as to where Bill had run off.

_Probably off to murder someone. Maybe strangle some animals while letting children watch. Or just going to the Gravity Falls Shoe Warehouse and mismatching all the boxes_

Yeah. That last one sounded like him.

Dipper raised his arms above his head as he began to feel a cramp work its way up into his abdomen. Oh great. He ate too much. He stretched to ease the aching, although he figured he'd be feeling it all the way back to the house. Ugh. How much longer was it?

About twenty minutes is the answer. Maybe a little more than that. Dipper literally counted the seconds as he walked back home, curious as to how far he'd traveled that morning. Clearly not very far. Great. Absolutely great. Aching like hell, and he only ran about a mile away. Dipper knew that that wasn't _quite_ the case, seeing how Bill made him do laps in circles and such, but it still didn't seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things.

He walked onto his front porch and fished out the keys to the house out of his pockets. Or he _attempted_ to. Nothing but his wallet was in his pocket. Oh goody. Dipper sighed and pulled up the mat in front of the door. The most cliché place ever to hide a spare key, but hey, it was efficient. He reached down and grabbed the key to unlock the door. Dipper unlocked the door and opened it up into the house. The lights were dimmed. Noone's here. Great.

Dipper walked up the stairs to his room, pleased that there was silence around him once more. It was so _calming_. He liked having Bill around, and definitely Mabel as well, but it was moments like these that he truly cherished. Just absolute serenity. He pulled open the door to his room and stepped in, closing his eyes as he breathed in the familar musk of his room.

"Ah. This is nice-"

He opened his eyes to find Bill sitting on his bed, looking out the window.

_What. Even._

"... Bill?" Dipper blinked, unsure if that really was him. Why the hell was he sitting on his bed? And... wait were those tear stains on his cheeks?

Bill looked at Dipper with eyes that almost appeared _dead_. The younger man was starting to REALLY wish he hadn't just walked in on... whatever this was. "Hey Pinetree." Bill croaked, his voice broken. Had he seriously been crying? On Dipper's bed?! That's _gotta_ be some form of curse. Bill was practically evil after all. Must be a bad omen.

He didn't openly question it however. Whatever had put Bill in this state should most definitely remain with Bill. Dipper wasn't one to meddle in Bill's private affairs, especially after the warning he'd given him during the first encounters he had with him.

"I thought you had errands to take care of," Dipper finally managed, unsure of what to say at first. He didn't want to push his luck at this. "I did. They were finished." Bill replied shortly, looking back at the window. It was noon, so the sun was still high in the sky. Several dark clouds were passing overhead however. Dipper hadn't checked the weather, but he did notice the harsh winds on his way home. There must be a storm coming. "Ah." Dipper nodded, mostly satisfied with that answer.

An awkwardness filled in between them as neither said a word. It was a first. Bill usually couldn't go two seconds without saying something either sarcastic or eccentric. Dipper didn't know if he liked this sort of silence. The bed creaked.

_Nope. Definitely not_

"Kid." Bill finally spoke. "Promise me something."

Oh boy. "Yeah?"

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. The light of the sun through the window made his eyes shine. "No matter what happens to me in the next year or so, promise me that you'll keep looking for the fountain."

It was an odd request. Well, not _too_ odd, but Dipper couldn't help but wonder if something brought the request on. Did something happen? "Uh, sure." He replied, chuckling nervously. "I'm sure that's what Great Uncle Ford would want as well."

Bill huffed and leaned back onto the bed

Hm.

"I think so too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JUST FYI-- the last thing Pyronica said was in patois, which is a language native to Jamaica-- and I'm SINCERELY sorry if it's crap ;w; mostly because I don't want any of u Jamaican folk getting pissed at me for any reason SO disclaimer here-- I apologize ;w;


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some pool fluff -w-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAND there it is. So much forced fluff, I hope you enjoy XD. Sorry I wasn't able to update yesterday- I got distracted with making and cake and weeeellll... didn't feel like writing any more. This chapter is surprisingly longer than the last XD shouldn't be that surprising though. The summary I made for it was literally 2,000 words sooooo... I think I was just putting a shit load of detail into it.
> 
> Alright. So I finally got around to editing this. So I'm just gonna say- DA FUCK DO YOU GUYS READ THIS BULLSHIT? Literally XD there are so many freaking typos and the grammar is absolute shit. Welp. As long as u enjoy it though -w-
> 
> Thank you guys so much for everything. I swear, with the amount of attention I got in the past week, I was literally falling out of my chair. I seriously got like 5 reviews in one day ;w; was just dying of happiness.
> 
> Heads up: next chapter we'll be back on track with the plot soooooo, yep! Enjoy the fluff -w-
> 
> Also-- if you reviewed on this story, go ahead and check the notes below cuz I got a message for u dudes ;w;

Dipper bit his lip in concentration. Doooooon'tttt drooooopp it!

_Ah!_

He carefully set the glass down onto the paper plate sitting beside him. Yes! Just a couple hundred more shards to go! Dipper licked his chapped lips and put down his tweezers for a second to retrieve the glass of water sitting beside him. He took several large gulps before returning to his dimly lit work.

Fixing his phone had only recently become a priority. After all, he hadn't had much need for it besides receiving texts from Mabel and Bill. However those were becoming much more prevalent during his day; especially texts from Mabel. He had only just recently begun to talk about Bill with her, refusing to give up his last name since he knew that Bill was fabulously wealthy. Not to mention extremely famous.

Who knew that such a reclusive guy could be the top story of the news?

_Actually... that's not very surprising_

Bill sorta did look like the guy who liked to stir up gossip and probably trouble along with it. He'd been involved in several scandals involving his company, although he expertly maneuvered his way out of them. Ahem. Should Dipper also mention that he offered some advice to Bill to get him out a several million dollar lawsuit? Ah. Yes he did. He couldn't help the smug smirk that worked his way onto his lips the day that Bill begrudgingly thanked him. Evidently that word alone was enough to throw off Bill. He _did_ not look very pleased that Dipper was able to outsmart a lawsuit that he should've been able to handle. In truth, Bill had spent _days_ pouring over reports and attempting to find an argument on his side.

Naturally, Dipper intervened.

_Heh_

He probably shouldn't have bothered Bill about it as much as he had though. After all, the man had practically brought Dipper out of the horrible life he had been leading not even three months ago. Now look at him! Dipper had gained a substantial amount of muscle and the color had completely returned to his skin. He even had a nice tan on him that came as a welcome surprise. Tans are hard to come by when you live an apartment most of your life. Mabel had complimented his new look during one of their skype calls, in which he became a little flustered.

Last time she'd commented on his look, she explicitly called him a vampire, "and not the hot kind!". That probably should've been a fair warning that he wasn't getting enough sleep, but it bit him in the butt in the long run evidently. That was the beginning of his irregular sleep habits.

Wow. Dipper was just glad that he'd gotten over that. He felt a hundred times better during the day, and it made him wonder why he hadn't just done this in the first place.

_No reason to_

Ah. Oh yeah. Well, now he had a reason to do something. Reasons. Finding Ford was becoming just one of many reasons for Dipper to be doing what he was doing. Reconcile with his family. He'd been helping Stan out every couple of days in the shack. Moving things mostly, but he did it for free. The old man really didn't need to be putting so much stress on his back. He was already starting to wear one of those braces, and Dipper realized that sooner or later that the brace would turn into a cane, and then eventually a retirement home. He just hoped that he wouldn't be gone in case Stan became ill or couldn't function on his own. He also hoped that Mabel or somebody else would be there with him, because no way in _hell_ Dipper was taking care of Stan by himself. That geezer was a pain enough to be ordered around by anyways. Emotional and physical support would be required to take care of his grunkle. Lots of it too.

Now that he thought about it, Mabel was probably the only other person besides his parents to come and help. That weirdo running the counter _may_ offer some assistance, but he doubted it. That kid was creepy as hell. He always wore that same outfit, and after a couple of visits, Dipper found that he had a very thick southern drawl. It sounded like a stereotypical western sheriff, accept his voice was unusually squeaky. Overall, he didn't sound or act like someone he really wanted to be around. Just the vibe he gave... not to mention he sounded awfully familiar to Dipper, but he couldn't quite recall why. It felt as if that memory had been shoved to the back of his head. So after a while, he just stopped thinking about. If he really cared to know, he could always just ask Stan or the kid himself. It had never come up in the conversation though.

Stan was proud of Dipper in a way. The change in lifestyle had evidently made the old man feel safer and more comfortable around Dipper. Hell, he'd even given the kid a pat on the shoulder. Just like he used to when Dipper was younger. Whenever the boy would chop mounds of wood in half, Stan would always be there to thank him and toss him a pitt cola.

It was just like it used to be. Well, ignoring the fact that Stan still looked at him sometimes in worry. That was a given considering his current situation.

Dipper smiled and picked up another shard of glass. "Careful..." He bit his lip in focus. One screwup under this lamp would not only lead to him getting burned, but also to him screwing up the phone's inner workings. And while Bill was paying for a lot of his living costs, Dipper did not want to bother him with something as stupid as a broken phone.

"I know a quicker way of doing that."

Dipper sucked in a breath and jerked his hand back, almost dropping his tweezers and the shard of glass. OH GREAT. Bill's back. Yet again for _another_ surprise visit.

Okay. So throughout this last month of training, it really hasn't been all that bad. Dipper got buffed up, he's healthy again, his family loves him... but this was the part that brought most of it to shame. Bill would _constantly_ come in with these little surprise "house visits" and scare the absolute _shit_ out of Dipper. It was becoming a common theme and Dipper _definitely_ didn't approve of it.

Not that there was much he could do. Bill had pretty much full access to the house. He had all the keys, he knew which windows were purposely left without locks, and he had practically _rebuilt_ the house. Bill was pretty much _entitled_ to freedom of entry, as much as it pained Dipper to admit it.

HOWEVER

He was not afraid to say that some of these "visits" actually ended up pretty alright in their own fucked up way. Like a couple of weeks ago when he had practically woken up to Bill sleeping right next to him. Now, normally he'd just beat the crap out of Bill (or try to) and kick him out of the bed, but something stopped him. Bill had a sticky note stuck on his head that clearly read:

**Sorry Pinetree. I broke three of your cabinets and there's fish blood on the living room carpet. I made you waffles though, so please don't kick me out of your bed. I'm tired and I lost my keys in the stream.**

Shockingly enough, the first thought that came to Dipper's mind was " _Ah. So he_ can _cook_ ". Nextly, he considered just kicking him out anyways. Because why not? The guy had admitted to breaking his cabinets, most likely permanently stained the carpet of his living room and had probably stunk up the house with fish smell. Dipper didn't do it though. The letter was too fucking _pathetic_ and... well, adorable to say in the least. Ugh. He hated himself for not just being a dick to Bill and forcing him out. The guy looked so _smug_ the next morning, thanking Dipper teasingly for letting him "spend the night".

Dipper doesn't look back at Bill and instead refocused on what he was doing. He put the broken shard of glass he was holding down onto the plate. "Bill, I don't know if I trust you with tweezers and broken glass." There came a scoff behind him. "I can go get some from my place if you're not going to give those to me."

"Bill... Why do you have broken glass in your house?"

"I don't. I can make some though."

Dipper heaved a sigh and made an effort to move out of his chair so Bill could sit, however the man simply leaned over him and plucked the tweezers out of his hand. His chest weighed heavily on Dipper's head, and all in all it was pretty fucking uncomfortable. The sweet scent of lilies distracted him, thankfully. There was another smell though... what was that? Some sort of tree? Was it oak? No. That's not it. Birch? Are there even any birch trees around here? Maybe...

It came to him. Bill smelled like pines. Like the woods outside. What the hell was he doing out there? Dipper wanted to demand why Bill smelled like pines, but that would just be blatantly admitting that he was smelling him. Dipper didn't know if he _wanted_ to ask Bill in all honesty. He'd probably reply back with something along the lines of, "Oh yeah! I've been hunting some doves- I don't eat them though". Or maybe, "I chased this little kid into the woods, heh. 'Started shouting for his mom when I dropped some pinecones on him from a tree". Something along the lines of chaos and terrorizing small creatures. He was mostly using his wariness of Bill's whereabouts to avoid a simple fact though:

_Ugh. It's disgusting how much you enjoy his scent_

Yeah. That.

"Dude," Dipper rolled his eyes. "I can't even see what you're doing." It was true. Bill's body looming over him like this was completely blocking the view. Not that Bill cared much. He wasn't intending on showing Dipper his electronic skills anyways. "You can always ask me to move." Chided Bill, enjoying how Dipper was getting riled up. He blushed. "Just fix the goddamned phone." The other huffed and sat back, trying to adjust his shoulders and his head so that Bill's weight wasn't uncomfortable. He had little success. Bill smiled.

After about five minutes Bill stood up straight, the tweezers still in his hands. "Tada!" He applauded himself. "It's almost like you never purposefully broke it to keep away your family."

"Shut up, Bill."

He only chuckled in response as he watched Dipper pick up his phone and inspect it. There was no shifts in the screen and Dipper was quite surprised. Didn't the new adhesive glue need to rest so the screen didn't fall right back out? Evidently not as he shook it around. Nothing popped loose, much to his satisfaction. And that didn't take nearly as long as it could have!

"What'd you do?" Dipper finally asked, turning around to look at Bill. He was now standing a good two feet away. His scent was mostly gone because of the distance, much to his dismay. The man shrugged and held back a smirk, although he failed to do so miserably. "Oh a little this, a little that." He waved his hand around dismissively. Dipper raised his brow quizzically but didn't question it further. Obviously Bill wasn't going to tell him for whatever reason. His phone was fixed, so what else could he say? "Soooo... Is there a reason you're here? I mean," Dipper pointed at the window.

It was pitch black outside and it was around midnight. He was planning on going to bed after this, but it looked like his plans to sleep would be delayed. At least while Bill was here. It sucked, seeing how his muscles were complaining from today's run and his head hurt from the intense discussions about relics and the Fountain of Youth he and Bill had, but he kept in his protests. Long story short; he was tired. Bill seemed way too energetic however. The man was practically bouncing off his heels even as he talked to Dipper.

Bill _giggled_ and held up a key. A key to what? Dipper had no idea. To be perfectly honest, he didn't _want_ to know at this point. It seemed like that was becoming a common theme. "What is that?" Dipper asked, his voice somewhat wary. Oh God. Here it comes.

This was the point in time where Dipper could seriously see some of his sister within Bill. He looked _way_ too excited about this key. It sort of reminded him of that one time him and his sister were wandering around town at night (don't ask) and they came across the Gravity Falls Toy Store. His sister proceeded to _break in_ through the back door so that they could screw around for a few hours. Was it illegal? Yes. Did Dipper hate his sister for doing it? Oh yeah. Did he regret it? Definitely not. This was turning exactly into that. Were they going to be breaking into a place? And the better question; was Dipper going to take part in it? Uh, no.

_Not willingly at least_

"It's a key, Pinetree. I would've thought you'd notice that." Bill deadpanned, clearly not getting the subtext of Dipper's question. Or he did, but he was seriously intent on pissing Dipper off. He face palmed, "A key to _what_?"

"The pool."

"The pool?"

"I'm glad you can repeat things, kid."

Dipper nearly growled. "Why the hell do you have the key to the pool?"

"Because I stole it," Bill replied with an eye roll. Of course. Of FUCKING course. Ugh. Is it _wrong_ that Dipper is growing numb to this? It was not only incredibly _annoying_ , but also extremely concerning. What was Bill planning to do in the pool? "Oh my God..." He groaned. "Let me guess; you want me to sneak into the pool with you so we can liberate the duck floaties from their imprisonment?"

"Now that just sounds ridiculous Pinetree. I just wanted to sneak into the pool."

_Nope_

Not dealing with this. Not today. Dipper spun on his chair, returning to his work. He began to pack up his tools for repairing his phone, no longer looking at Bill. "No," he said simply. Why the hell should he be playing Bill's games this late at night? The man had already spent enough time today with Dipper, what more could he want? Not to mention Dipper didn't particularly want to participate in whatever Bill was planning. Nope. Definitely not.

Bill found a very fake pout forming on his lips. He skipped forward and sat down on the table, just beside Dipper. "But why not, Pinetree? I thought you liked being around me." He whined, bumping the other with his leg. Dipper shrugged him off and zipped up his tool bag. "That's an overstatement..." He grumbled to himself before looking over at Bill with an exhausted expression. "Bill, it's twelve o'clock at night and this idea sounds stupid."

His expression clearly said he was not up for this, and Bill caught the message. Oh boy, did he. The man shrugged and hopped off the table, a slightly indifferent expression on his face. "Well, if that's your choice and you'd rather stay here tonight..." He drawled before he flipped a book into view. His nimble fingers ran over the various old and worn pages, making an obnoxiously obvious noise. "I suppose you won't be missing _this_ then."

The sound of turning pages catches Dipper's attention if nothing else, and he looks back just in time to see a flash of gold on the cover of the book. Journal. Journal 3 to be exact. Almost instantaneously he shot out of his chair. "Bill! How'd you get that?" Dipper demanded. Bill shrugged, only waving the book around more. "Your room window is never locked, kid."

Suddenly Bill's got Dipper running up on him, attempting to grab the book. He just holds it high in the air, about a head above where Dipper can reach. Fuck. Dipper hated how Bill was this much taller than him. "BILL!" He hissed

"Yes?"

"Give it back!"

"Do I even get a please?"

"Fucking hell... Just give it- WOAH!" He attempted to jump up and snag the book, but he found himself falling forward. He had been leaning onto Bill to keep balance, but the man had simply up and left.

No. He _booked_ it out that front door.

Dipper fell flat onto the floor, scrambling up in search of Bill. Gone. He could still hear Bill's obnoxious giggling. Then there was the familiar sound of Bill's motorcycle being started up, and a yell followed soon after. "If you want it Pinetree, you're going to have to come and get it!" There was the sound of a motorcycle being sped away, and Dipper realized Bill was gone.

To where? Oh. Wasn't it obvious? This was just Bill's _infuriating_ way of getting Dipper to the pool- or wherever else he had in mind. It almost seemed like the best option to just spite Bill and stay in the house. Waiting out this idiotic night definitely seemed like a good idea at the moment.

_However..._

Who could trust Bill with that book? Hell, Dipper didn't trust _anyone_ with that book. None of the journals, in fact. _Especially_ Bill. Who knows what he'd do to it? Would it end up like the last thing Dipper lent him? Burnt and covered in a... strange fluid...

He shuddered. NOPE. Not tonight. Dipper ran out the door to the old golf cart him and Bill had fixed up about two weeks ago. It was at a local auction- broken and nearly unfixable. The two had bought it though for about fifty dollars. Cheap considering it's initial value. Dipper hopped into the car and reached into his pocket for the keys.

Nothing. "For fucks sake..."

Another growl, some curses, and several flung open cabinets later, Dipper was finally starting up the cart. The engine roared to life and he reminded himself that this thing still needed a muffler. Later. Now-

He's got a moron to catch.

Dipper sped off down the gravel of the long driveway and onto the road. He could see Bill farther ahead of him since the roads were clear. He was glad. Both of them were _easily_ breaking the law by going way past the speed limit. Also ignoring traffic laws, but whatever. He doubted that they'd be caught anyways. Gravity Falls was a small town, which means there's only a select few sheriffs that actually stayed up this late to catch folks. There's hardly anyone in the police at all besides Sheriff Blubs and his deputy Durland. Both of which usually spent their time fooling around with each other.

Finally he sees Bill cut a corner. Yep. He's leading him to the pool.

Just. Fantastic.

* * *

Bill arrived at the pool about a minute before Dipper. It was just enough time to park his motorcycle and unlock the pool gate. He was a little surprised with himself for going through all this trouble just to get into this place. After all, there was always the option of just running down the gate. Pinetree probably wouldn't approve though...

Not that he approved of anything Bill did anyways.

Maybe that's why he didn't do it. Or maybe he just really liked taking the long route (he decided it was probably that). Cipher grabbed the book out of the small compartment on his bike and went inside.

The pool was dimly lit by a nearby street lamp. The water was calm, but the pool lights were off so it was nearly impossible to see into the water. Ooo. Ominous! He liked it. Bill grinned and cleared his throat, fully prepared to blackmail the shit out of his subordinate. He stood on the edge of the pool, his arm outstretched with the book held dangerously over the water.

There was finally the tell-tale sounds of Dipper's arrival as he heard the skidding of a car parking and the glorious cursing that Pinetree was oh-so fond of. Ah yes. Dipper walked through the ajar gate and glared at Bill, clearly tensing up when he caught sight of the journal. He looked extremely tired and bothered. Perfect. "Bill. Don't you fucking dare." He warned the blonde, taking a step forward. Bill just took a step closer to the water. "Oh? But why not? Why shouldn't I dare, Pinetree?"

"I will literally _slaughter_ you."

"I'd really like to see you try," He smirked. "Now how about you be a good boy and say you'll spend the night with me?" Oh. My. God. What a sadistic little piece of shit- no. _Calm down, Dipper_ , the brunette reminded himself. He hesitated, taking another step forward. This time, the book slipped a few centimeters in Bill's grip. "Whoops! It's slipping! How's about you just give up- oh, whoops."

The book accidently fell out of his hand and into the water. Or, well, it would've. As soon as Dipper notice his grip loosen, he let his month's worth of training kick in. He literally _jumped_ to catch the book midair and fell into the water. There was a horribly large splash that followed.

Everything was soaked. Dipper was surrounded by water and got _everything_ drenched. The journal. His clothes. His _everything_. Dipper rose out of the water to find Bill on the poolside, literally laughing his ass off like he just re-watched _The Human Centipede_. Dipper looked like a wet rag, his clothes clinging to his body and his hair looking like absolute shit. Well, not that it didn't look like that already.

An infuriated hand ran through his matted hair as he glared daggers at Bill. "I cannot believe you, Cipher!" He spat. It didn't even remotely die down Bill's endless laughter. Oh he'd murder that son of a bitch as soon as he dried off this journal. It was ruined most likely. All that information... about the fountain...

What was Bill even thinking?! Did he not even care about this entire _fucking project_ that they'd worked _MONTHS_ on?

He looked down at the ruined book and flipped it open. That's when he noticed it. There was literally _nothing_ in the journal. No words. No familiar tears or worn paper. _Nothing_. Just a single note in pen that was already smudged to a point that it was nearly unreadable. But Dipper read it.

**Thanks for coming to the pool with me Pinetree**

That little... "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BILL?" Dipper seethes, his eye practically lit afire. What the hell is wrong with this guy?! Bill didn't even look up from his place on the ground beside the pool, still laughing like there was no tomorrow. "Oh my GOD Pinetree!" The man wailed in laughter. "That was the funniest thing I've seen since the Human Centipede!" Knew it. "It's a replica!"

"THAT WAS NOT FUNNY BILL!" He thought for a second before chucking the fake journal at his partner's form. "So _that's_ why all my glue was gone!" Dipper realizes and curses. He was literally _sprinting_ to the Walmart because there was a fucking _leak_ in his bathroom. Bill clearly thought this _stupid_ prank was more important than his new house and bathroom being ruined. Or... Bill's house. Dipper didn't even know anymore.

Bill just scoffed and finally pushed himself up with his elbows to look at Dipper. "Clearly we have a different taste in humor," he remarked. Oh God. He looks WAY too smug. But...

_Hmph. Oh yes_

Dipper huffed as he waded through the water to the edge of the pool. In an instant, he whipped out his hands and grabbed Bill by the ankles, pulling him abruptly into the water. The man collided with the water, dipping underneath briefly. Now all of _his_ clothes were soaked and _he_ was in the same _miserable_ state as Dipper. Ha! Bill rose out of the water, looking just as wet and annoyed as Dipper. Except now the brunette was the smug one, grinning at Bill. Dipper pushed him back, clearly pleased with his work. "Evidently so."

Bill spat out some water and returned the gesture by pushing Dipper back. "Oh I see then." He smirked. "Let's get _really_ funny then."

* * *

What time was it?

Dipper had lost track how many hours it had been _completely_. Bill and him got so lost in screwing around in the pool, making sharp remarks at each other, and just... enjoying each other's presence. It was a strange turn of events considering Dipper's previous blood lust at the beginning of the night.

It had cooled down though. Well, ignoring the fact that they had a full on water battle for about half an hour afterwards. But by the end of it, both of them were laughing and grinning like idiots. The two looked like best friends who'd just snuck into a pool.

Which... sorta seemed to be the case.

It was nice. The atmosphere was serene. Just this whole night was turning out to be a great success. He wondered if Bill had planned it this way. Even though it had started out as complete mess for Dipper, it was so well coordinated. Clearly Bill had planned for most of this to happen. I really made Dipper see the blonde in a new light. Sure he was annoying and all that, but he was also incredibly talented in predicting and planning. Dipper was actually starting to fucking believe that Bill was omnipotent.

"So," Dipper began. He sat on the edge of the pool with a towel draped over his bare shoulders. He had discarded the shirt near the beginning of their water war. It was only serving to make him colder and he had long since grown out of wearing shirts to the pool. Especially now that he had somewhat of a nice back and front to show off. Now he was just trying to keep warm in the cool nights. The adrenaline had worn off a while back so he started to realize how cold it really was. "Why'd you name him 'Teeth' anyways?" He chuckled lightly.

Bill was drifting in the water a little whiles away in his own swim trunks (the little fucker was planning this entire thing). He didn't seem at all chilled by the cool night. Dipper wondered if it was some sort of built up tolerance. _Or maybe it's just him being a masochist again_... Yeah, probably that too. Bill shifted out of his drifting state and stood up in the water. He looked at Dipper and pursed his lips, not quite remembering the answer to that question. Abruptly he snapped his fingers in recollection, "Oh! The kid bit me when I met him!" He shrugged, a grin plastered onto his face as if this were a fond memory. "Was practically starving to death and he thought I was a big cow or something."

"Yeah," Dipper chortled. "I can see the resemblance."

"Watch it, Pines." Bill warned, although there was no real threat in his voice. Both boys laughed at their stupid antics and they went back to what they were doing. Dipper leaned back on his hands, the towel around his shoulders sagging slightly. He looked up into the night air where only a few stars were visible.

In rural Oregon, it was pretty easy to spot most of the constellations. If they were at Ford's house then they'd definitely be able to see nearly all of them. However the light of the street lamp cancelled it out sadly. He could still see it though. The constellation he was named after. That one was usually always there, no matter where you went. Or at least parts of it were. He sighed in content. Dipper didn't realize it, but Bill was watching him intently. The man was absolutely infatuated in the way Dipper's eyes seemed to shine in the starlight. The kid must be thinking.

Dipper didn't realize Bill was staring until he felt a presence beside him. Bill had waded over in the water to lean on the edge of the pool beside Dipper. Bill's slick elbow brushed against his thigh. "So tell me Pinetree..." Dipper looked down at his partner with a small tinge to his cheeks. He didn't really like the way Bill looked at him so shamelessly. "How'd you get _your_ name?" His blush faded.

Oh boy. Dipper let out a nervous laugh and looked away. "I don't think I should be telling _you_ of all people, Bill. Considering all the shit you've put me through tonight, you'd probably laugh." He admitted, not knowing whether or not Bill would deny it. Probably not. "You're laughable anyways, kid." There it was. "Why not just tell me?" Dipper frowned at the reply. Bill heaved a sigh and held up a hand in oath. "Fine fine! I won't laugh. Scouts honor."

"You never even did boy scouts, did you?"

"Can't say I have."

_What an asshole..._

Without another word, Dipper brought a hand up to his forehead and showed off his strange birthmark. It was of the Big Dipper, made up of little red marks that were connected with small lines in his forehead. He'd shown this off during the beginning of the night when he first came out of the water, but he had quickly covered it up with his bangs. Bill was too busy laughing to notice.

He wasn't laughing now though. No, this time he was just _staring_. Dipper was waiting for the moment he'd burst into laughter and make fun of the stupid mark. It was something of a running joke in his life. _Oh haha! The Big Dipper! That's where you got your name! I thought you're parents just hated you or something!_ Yeah. That.

After a while, Bill finally spoke up. "You hide that under your bangs all day?" He asked, causing Dipper to raise a brow. "... yeah?" He ventured. Why'd he ask that? "Why?" Came Bill's immediate reply. Dipper's face flushed. Ugh! This question. "Because it's embarrassing!"

"It's remarkable."

"See!" Dipper dropped his hand from holding up his still damp bangs. "I knew you'd- wait, what?"

_Huh?_

His mind went haywire. Did Bill just really call his birthmark... remarkable? He quickly felt the heat rush to his cheeks. No one has ever said that to him. Not including his parents, but that line was so rehearsed and... "I said it's remarkable." Bill repeated, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Oh uh," Dipper brought a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it awkwardly. Damn. Uh. Well. That's clearly the nicest thing Bill's said to Dipper. The fact that he felt so peculiar by it only served to prove that point. "Thanks?"

The blonde huffed and looked away from Dipper, turning to face the pool spread out in front of him. "Why do you sound so surprised?" He quizzed, himself a little bit confused as to why his Pinetree was so sensitive to this. Was it something he should laugh at? Dipper clearly didn't want him to laugh, so why was he acting so shocked by him not laughing? Dipper offered a shrug, "I sort of expected you to fall over laughing again and call me ridiculous."

"Do you want me to?" Bill inquired, earning a shake of the head. "Not really," Dipper replied. _Yeesh_. Bill chuckled, _make up your mind, kid_. "Then I won't." Was his simple reply.

Just that statement alone was enough to take Dipper aback. He looked away, attempting to hide his blush. Why. Why was Bill suddenly being so... nice? Dipper didn't even know those two words could go in a sentence together. Well, unless _not_ was in between them.

After he calmed down his cheeks (to the best of his ability), Dipper finally looks back at Bill. _Naturally_ he's still staring. "What?" Dipper nearly growls. God. All this pent up embarrassment was quickly starting to turn into irritation.

"What?"

"What are you staring at?"

"You."

" _Why_?"

"Obviously because I want to." Dipper slapped a hand to his forehead in frustration. FINE! He wraps the towel tighter around his body, no longer enjoying the feeling of having Bill so close by. Yeah. Fuck that guy. "Whatever..." Dipper grumbled. Bill frowns slightly.

Did Dipper not like him pestering him like this? It was working well before... Nah. Bill just needs to get on his nerves more. "Pinetree?" He asked after another moment of tense silence. "What now?" Dipper quipped back, his voice sharp but tired. "Would you like to know more about your great uncle?"

This instantly perked Dipper up. Nearly a month with no word about Ford, and here it was. Ah. Dipper narrows his eyes soon after, "There's a catch to this, isn't there?" He tested, wary of what Bill would ask in return. The man shrugged and waded to the spot in between Dipper's legs. The brunette's face heats up at the clear invasion of space, and the lack of distance between Bill's face and his crotch. "What can I say?" Bill smirked, resting his elbows on the concrete in front of him. "It'll be a fair price. Just like it always is."

Hm... It was definitely questionable. Bill's definition of a "fair price" was definitely leagues different from Dipper's own sense of the term, but what could he honestly do? Lose this opportunity to learn more about Ford's adventures and quite possibly his state of being? Bill hardly even talked about Ford, so when would he get another opportunity like this again? "Fine. Name it." He managed, wondering if he should move before Bill got any closer.

"I'd like a dance."

"A what?"

Bill laughed. "You sure do like me to repeat things."

"Why do you-" Dipper brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Actually, you know what? I'm not even going to ask." He stood and tossed the towel onto a nearby lounging chair. He was glad to have that distance away from Bill. It was really not making the situation any better. "How're we going to dance? There's no music."

There comes a grunt in reply, as Bill pulled himself out of the water and stood. "Ah," he reached into his pocket. Bill flipped out a phone, and Dipper wondered why the hell he brought something like that into the pool. It was probably some freakishly expensive water proof device, knowing Bill. "But that is where you're wrong. Remember Pinetree," he tapped the screen a few times before a slow and jazzy tune began to play. "If there's a will, there's a way."

Dipper gulped as Bill waltzed over to him, placing a hand on his waist. His other hand intertwined with Dipper's, raising it up and off to the side. "Ready, kid?" He asked as Dipper desperately tried to push down any embarrassment that he had. Nope! Now was _definitely_ not the time to get flustered. Bill could easily give him hell for it at this distance.

The two were pushed flush against each other as Bill began to lead Dipper through the motions of the dance. He was clumsy and stepped on Bill's toes more than enough times to bruise them. _Ugh..._ Dipper had done this only other time, during his junior year at prom. Mabel had found him a "date", and the crazy woman had made him dance with her. He didn't know what that lady was on, but clearly she didn't realize how horrible Dipper was until he literally broke her toe and fell over five people. It was nearly the worst night of his life, besides that one time someone puked all over his pants during one of Pacifica's parties.

"So," Dipper began. "About Ford?" He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. The closeness was bothering him more than it should, and it wasn't the unpleasant kind of bothering. Nope. It was a much _much_ worse kind of bothering that he actually enjoyed. "Ah yes." Bill hummed. "I guess I'll tell you something harmless. Can't have you knowing _everything_."

_Oh great_

Ah. "Where to start..." The song changed and their pace slowed. Thankfully. Dipper wanted to be able to take all of this in, and he didn't want this dance distracting him. "Ford was an extraordinary man, as you well know. I was his apprentice, so he took me on incredible adventures..."

* * *

There was no discontent at the end of the night. No sense of betrayal. No jealousy. Dipper was surprised. For nearly an hour more, Bill just rambled on about his insane adventures with Ford. At times, Dipper wished he was there instead of Bill, but then he came to realize how horrible some of those times would've been. Like when Ford got captured by some "manotaurs" and Bill had absolutely no clue as to how he was going to get him back. He ended up befriending the beasts, tricked them into not killing Ford, and then made a break for it as soon as they could. He had spent _two weeks_ doing that. Two horrible weeks.

It was so admirable and so horrible at the same time. Bill laughed at the memory, despite it being absolutely horrible. Dipper respected his ability to move on from events like that and just laugh it off in the end.

He was right about this information being absolutely harmless. This didn't tell him anything about Ford besides where he disappeared off to at times. Nothing except crazy stories that would seem like a fool's tale to others. No. Dipper believed all of them. They were so ridiculous and extraordinary... how could he not?

Dipper laughed against Bill's shoulder. The tenseness between them had faded away, and the two were practically clinging onto each other in this dance. They were only swaying now, since the songs had died out to something soft and sweet. It really was a romantic atmosphere, wasn't it? He didn't even try to push the thought away. Why should he? It was the _truth_. Tonight was wonderful, romantic, and just... incredible.

Sure it had it's ups and downs, but here Dipper was; content as he'll ever be. He wanted this to last longer, so he could just bask in the night with Bill.

But there came a ringing from his wrist.

His 4 o'clock alarm.

Dipper blinked and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, it was starting to lighten up, even though the stars were still out. He glanced at Bill, who was looking off into the distance as he held Dipper close. "Bill?"

"Hm?"

"Uh," Dipper hesitantly began. "We should probably head home before we get caught." The statement caught Bill off guard, but then he glanced at Dipper's watch. Oh. He hadn't realized how late is really was. "Oh. Yeah." He said, peeling himself away from Dipper. The brunette held back a whimper of protest, instantly missing the warmth of Bill as the coldness of the morning surrounded him again.

Bill went over to his phone and shut off the music. He looked at the screen a little while longer, his eyes moving as if he were reading a text. Dipper didn't question it as Bill pocketed the phone. "Alright. That should do it for tonight then." He concluded to Dipper, who was standing there shivering. Bill chuckled and tossed him the towel that still sat on the lounging chair. "Take the day off today, kid. I'll keep out of your hair."

He didn't quite know if he wanted that. Dipper, if anything, wanted Bill to _stay_. It didn't seem like he had very much choice in the matter however. So he just smiled, "yeah okay. And hey, Bill?"

"Yeah?"

Dipper's smile morphed into a grin, a small blush tinting his cheeks. "Thanks for spending the night with me."

Bill smirked. "Back 'atcha, Pinetree."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT, so one last thing. For everyone who reviewed, yesterday I replied to your reviews with thanks and a message basically elaborating on the things you said. NOW-- I realized like an hour after I posted it, that you guys probably didn't receive any notifications about the message and I'm like, well shit XD what's the point of posting it? SO, in the case that you DID get the notification that I replied-- I didn't have any malicious intention on deleting my reply ;w; not trying to say u are unworthy of my attention or some shit
> 
> NOW. The reason I even bother with mentioning this is because I sort of have a "worthy complex". That's probably not even a thing but NO MATTER. What it means is that I don't like getting comments that are from myself, or from friends; simply because I don't believe that they were earned. Like, if I wrote a reply, it'd show that instead of having a single comment from you, I now have two. It just doesn't feel earned-- and idk why but that tiny little number besides the word "reviews" just gets to me EVERY TIME. The same goes for friends writing reviews simply because they're my friend, not because they liked the story. You get what I mean? 
> 
> So I've concluded that either I'm not going to reply to comments at all, or I'm just going to address them in the notes since I have a fuck ton of room. You guys can let me know, since I'd feel like shit if you never wanted me to put you on the spot like that and I did anyways ;w; because some of the stuff you address in the comments I feel super passionate about (and that probably sounds super nerdy but whatever ;w;) (Actually, tbh, this whole thing probably sounds like some super shitty OCD, but WHATEVER)
> 
> That was all I had to say ;w; sorry if this was a super obnoxious message but I wanted to address it


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting into plot-- Bill and Dipper meet the mer-people and an old friend -w-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND here it is. Finally, we're getting plotty here. I apologize for not uploading this this weekend... I went to a friends house and ended up spending the night there, so I didn't get to work on it at all this Saturday. I got a good portion of this done yesterday, and today I was mostly studying for finals. AND speaking of which, I don't know how this weeks update is looking since I have finals on this Friday and next Monday. So I may not be able to update next weekend ;w; I apologize. Also... this is the longest chapter I've written so far, so I apologize if it seems rushed or reads like absolute crap. I needed to get something out ;w;
> 
> IN ADDITION- I've made my own playlist for this story and just for Billdip in general. Here's the link if you're interested https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l-H9dJtdAM . Also, the pic I posted before evidently didn't show up for some of you, soooo I just uploaded it onto tumblr XD here's the link if you'd like to see it http://hodghead.tumblr.com/post/145017986483/just-for-you
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos, the views, and the comments ;w; the support is incredible, I can't thank you enough

Bumpy, but not too bad. The view was pretty great too. Just... a lot of water. A lot of sand as well. Dipper couldn't recall ever seeing water _that_ translucent. Well, besides the water of the Gravity Fall's pool. But this was just ocean water. Crystal clear and... impossible to see at the moment.

It was dark outside. Nearly pitch black if not for the illumination of nearby street lamps. It was just as it should be at this hour. Nearly all of the roads were desolate of cars, there wasn't much activity outside of beach campfires and late night workers, and there was only the sound of wave's lapping against the beach.

The sound calmed Dipper as he rested his head back against the chair. He'd been up _way_ too long on the cross-country flight he and Bill had made. Because _apparently_ commercial jets were overrated, and Bill just _had_ to take Dipper all the way here on an itty-bitty plane. It was quick enough, Dipper supposed. It just... it could've been much easier.

But nope. They took a tiny plane, and _naturally_ Bill was pilot. You can imagine how horrible that had been. Tricks in the air, letting go of the handle, pulling shit like falling asleep. It was _not_ how Dipper wanted to die.

It must've been strange to watch Dipper kiss the ground like he did when they finally landed in Beaver, Oklahoma for rest. They'd traveled the full day to reach halfway across the country, so thankfully Bill had booked a room in a local hotel for them to sleep in. It was a nice room, he had to admit. Nothing luxurious, which was beginning to become unsurprising. Bill was attempting to save money evidently. He had refused to do anything super high end this entire trip. Dipper wondered why, but he narrowed it down to Bill just being his normal weird self.

Speaking of Bill's normal weird self; did Dipper mention how much he _loathed_ Bill's "normal weird self"? It was a little bit ironic, seeing how just a month ago Dipper realized his crush for Bill. And he was crushing _hard_. It got to the point where every moment with Bill seemed to make him anxious and... just horrible. It was over though. Just a month later, about the time that they were making final preparations for the trip, Dipper moved on. Bill clearly didn't like him in that way; or it didn't seem like it. He'd flirt, yeah, but it didn't really mean anything. It was just his stupid way of making Dipper flustered. It was something Bill seemed to enjoy a lot.

Which is why Dipper was pleased to keep him unsatisfied the morning they woke up in that hotel. Somehow, just _somehow_ , Bill had managed to get into Dipper's bed _yet again_. Dipper didn't know how... but it happened. So he woke up to soft blonde hair and a peaceful sleeping face. And this time, Bill woke up to a knee in his crotch and a pissed off brunette looking down at him. Dipper felt absolutely not remorse.

Bill certainly didn't feel satisfied that particular morning.

Dipper offered a small smile at the memory, his eyes shut as he listened to his favorite Icelandic pop band, Babba. He didn't dare hum it, or turn up the volume. Dipper already knew how cruel Bill was when he got some dirt on him-

Suddenly, a hand reached over and ripped his headphone's cord out of his phone. 'Disco Girl' began to play loudly in the car, and Bill nearly fell over in his seat as he drove. "Bill!" Dipper shouted, his face going beet red. He tried to turn the volume down, but he was fumbling with the lock screen. The blonde seized to opportunity to wrestle the phone out of Dipper's grasp. He was giggling like a complete and utter idiot as the car swerved. "Oh my God, kid! This is so fucking good... I didn't realize you were into _this_ kind of music." He joked playfully, shooting Dipper a smirk.

_Oh God I hate this moron_

After a moment more of intense lunging, Dipper finally gave up. He sunk into his chair, "Fuck you." Bill rolled his eyes and began to hum the song, finding it slightly enjoyable. "I bet you would." He murmured to himself, leaving the music on as he listened to it quietly.

"You got any water left?"

"Bill, you're assuming I haven't poisoned it for you."

"Hmph. Touchy."

* * *

It wasn't any darker when they arrived at the cottage. The stars were still out, although it did seem a little more windy. Maybe it was because they were so near the beach. Dipper got out of the car and stretched his limbs. It felt glorious to be out in the open again. The past two days had been full of cramped spaces. And Bill. Cramped spaces and Bill.

_Glorious freedom..._

He looked at the cottage just in time to see Bill disappear into it. Aaaand of course. He was holding a phone to his ear as he talked. Must be another call.

Those were becoming more frequent, Dipper noticed. Before they weren't very prevalent. From time to time Bill would leave the room in order to answer a call, but now it seemed like it was becoming a daily thing. Dipper didn't interfere, since Bill usually became very sensitive when Dipper brought it up. It should've been suspected, seeing how Bill _had_ warned him not to meddle in his personal affairs.

Clearly this was personal.

Dipper sighed and went around back to the trunk of the rented van. It was something cheap that they had picked up after they dropped off the plane in a rental lot. The car was already booked when they got there, so all Bill had to do was collect the keys. Dipper hauled out a suitcase that was packed to the brim with clothes and supplies. This one was his own. Full of everything he'd need in case something went wrong with the plan. His plan. His and Bill's plan. A good plan, that would surely work.

He swallowed some spit and brought down his nervousness. _Don't worry about it Dipper_ , a small voice in his head told him. _You've been preparing for this for three whole months. You've got the strength and intelligence to not get yourself in trouble_. Yeah. Alright. Dipper took in a deep breath and grabbed Bill's suitcase as well, which was considerably lighter. It was this and a couple of other supplies, but they really needed to take out this for now.

It was late and Dipper really didn't feel like unpacking everything the van contained, so he opted to shutting the trunk and then locking the car. Thankfully Bill had left the keys on the hood, which Dipper spent a little while finding. He grabbed the suitcases and headed towards the small set of stairs that led onto the porch of the slightly secluded house.

The house itself was relatively small. Dipper knew that there were two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. Obviously Bill would take the bigger of the two bedrooms, even though from the pictures the two rooms seemed fairly equal. Well, whichever one _didn't_ have bedbugs and lice.

Dipper bumped the door open with his hip, luggage in tow. The first thing he was greeted by was the lingering scent of bleach, which wasn't entirely unwelcomed. This was the smell of beach trips, and maybe even lake trips. Rented houses and tons of adventures. Man. He should probably send some pictures of the beach to Mabel. Hopefully it wouldn't-

There was a crackle of lightning behind him, and the sound of the first rain drop hitting the ground. Ah. Nope it's raining. Dipper sighed and shut the door behind him, locking it just after. He tossed Bill's suitcase onto the couch, fully expecting the blonde to get it himself.

"Right... Let me check..." Dipper heard Bill's voice coming from what he assumed was a bedroom. Once again, he considered listening to the conversation, but he didn't want to risk it. Who knows what Bill would do? Clearly he had no restraint, as demonstrated by the _events_ of the past month and a half. Dipper didn't even want to get started on how he disemboweled that poor mouse...

He shuddered and walked towards the next room, which was actually fairly decent. White walls and a tacky little bed sheet that was bound to be comfortable. There was a window on the other side of the wall that gave a good view to the moon. It hung high in the air, completely full. Dipper wondered if the moon attracted the mer-people. It was quickly covered up however by stormy clouds.

Without much thought, he looked away from the window and tossed his suitcase onto the floor. He didn't even bother undressing as he crawled into bed. They had stopped for dinner thankfully, so there was no need for him to get up and make something to eat. The only thing he really needed now was a shower. Meh. It was something he could do in the morning. Right now though, he just wanted to lay on this _really_ comfy bed. Dipper wasn't even sure if this bed was really all that great, but it was the best thing in the world at the moment.

Dipper shimmied his way under the covers slowly, eventually making his way into the bed. He kicked off his shoes and pushed them off the bed.

_Ah..._ He began to close his eyes. _Finally... some_ real _rest..._

* * *

His "real" rest didn't last more than about an hour.

Remember how Bill was talking to someone on the phone? Yeah? Well that talking was _still_ going on and at some points it has escalated to _yelling_. Dipper didn't even care what it was about at that point. The only thing he really bothered recognizing was that it was _loud_ and it was keeping him awake. Those were two things he really wasn't liking right now.

At some point Bill began to shout again, and that's when Dipper had finally had enough. No _way_ was he going to sit through this for the entire night! Dipper needed rest! For fucks sake, he had literally been traveling _two days_ with a deranged man! _Sleep_ was a necessity at that point! Dipper pulled himself out of bed and marched to Bill's room. Without even waiting for a response of some sort (even though he didn't knock on the door), Dipper pushed the door open and glared directly at Bill. He was in the middle of a conversation, but his sentence stopped short when he spotted Dipper.

"Look, just have them ready by tomorrow. Got it? Good." Bill's expression softened as he hung up the phone. He looked at Dipper with tired eyes. Clearly he was exhausted and this whole ordeal wasn't suiting him either. Dipper sighed and sat down on the bed. Bill looked absolutely pitiful right now. "Alright, what's up?" He asked finally. The blonde looked at him, offering a frown. "The bullshit rental companies around here. Why're you up?"

"Because the bullshit rental companies are making Bill Cipher yell." Dipper rolled his eyes, offering Bill a small smile. The man huffed and looked out the window. It was raining outside still, but it was calm and soothing. To him at least. "This stressing you out?" Dipper questioned, and Bill chuckled slightly. "Terribly so." He replied.

It honestly shouldn't be all that surprising to Dipper, but it was. Bill never really seemed like the sort of guy who'd get frustrated. Just... everything around him usually turned out pretty good. Nothing bad or anything like that. Apparently this trip was bringing up some roadblocks though. Dipper couldn't tell if they were horribly bad or not, because he honestly had no idea what they were renting out besides this house and maybe a boat. "Can I help?" Dipper offered. It was worth a shot. He didn't know what he could do to help, but it was up for taking if Bill wanted it. "No." Bill said, leaning back.

Dipper pursed his lips and stood, glancing over at the small stand besides Bill's bed. There was an empty, cloudy bottle of rum sitting right there. Where did Bill get that? He shook his head clear from the thought and grabbed the bottle, heading to the door. "Then figure out something to help you sleep. I'll get you some water."

He went out of the room and into the relatively small kitchen. It didn't have an isle, but it did have a counter that rounded over and formed a small bar. There was a trashcan beside it, so he just tossed the empty bottle in there. Dipper thought it suited the house. He headed towards he faucet and grabbed a glass, filling it with water. The cup smelled a bit like alcohol. No doubt the previous guests of the house stained it with the stench of beer. Meh. Not that it mattered to Dipper. Hopefully Bill wouldn't be picky of the smell.

Just as he was about to head back to the room, there flash of light and then the sound of thunder. The house shook slightly, but it didn't scare Dipper in the least. He'd gotten over all of his fears of lightning. There was a ton of it in Gravity Falls, considering the large trees that surrounded the area. He looked out the small window on the door and realized just how much it was raining outside. Yeesh. Dipper returned to Bill's room, a glass in hand.

Bill was now on the other side of the bed, sitting and looking out the window at the rain. He had a blanket bundled around him, and Dipper wanted to laugh. What? Was _he_ scared of lightning? Dipper crawled onto the bed and sat beside Bill, handing him the glass of water. "It's pretty, yeah?" He said, although he wasn't quite sure of the response he was going to receive. The blonde nodded and looked down at the water for a second. "Yeah, I suppose. You know," He tapped the glass absentmindedly, "Mer-people worship lightning. Also the moon. Pretty much anything shiny. This storm is sort of like a good omen that they'll be around."

The brunette yawned and nodded. "I figured mer-people would be scared of lightning. The Greeks believed that Zeus and Poseidon were enemies. Isn't lightning, like, Zeus' thing?" Bill rolled his eyes at the comment and smirked at Dipper. "Yeah, sure kid. Lightning was his 'thing'. Mer-people love power though, just as much as Poseidon did. Some of them are very weak creatures. So stealing lightning, which is raw power and energy, is something sacred to them. Not to mention they have a weak spot for beautiful things."

"Wow."

"Yeah," Bill chuckled. "It's good though. We'll be looking for them tomorrow probably. We'll need to pay the fee for the kiss as well." Dipper blinked and looked at Bill. Was that figurative? A kiss? Why would they need a kiss? Ah, he probably should've asked that first. "Kiss?" He inquired, slightly interested and slightly concerned. What was this going to be? Were they going to suck some of his soul out? Bite off his lips and savor his blood? "Kid, haven't you heard that a mermaid's kiss can keep a sailor from drowning?"

"Uh, no."

"Well now you have."

"I don't know if I want to kiss a fish." Dipper laughed slightly, putting aside his worry for now. It can't be _that_ bad. Bill can't breathe underwater, so he'll be getting one too. Clearly it can't be bad since Bill's doing it. "Too bad," Bill shrugged. "Unless you feel like drowning."

Dipper rolled his eyes yet again, earning a laugh from Bill. His dark expression that had been there not ten minutes ago had lifted. "Are they at least attractive?" Dipper asked. He could only hope for the best, right? "Most aren't. Really kid, they're _fish_ people. Do you honestly expect them to look like pretty women or something?"

"Kinda."

"Well. You're in for one hell of a shocker."

_Kissing an ugly fish... great_

Dipper groaned playfully and pushed Bill lightly, a smile on his lips. "Well hopefully it's better than my past experiences with kissing." Bill raised a brow at the statement, urging Dipper to continue. Oh _now_ he was interested. Dipper continued, counting them off on his fingers as he went. "Well, first girl got stung by a bee when we kissed. She nearly bit off my lips... Um, second one threw up on me since she was absolutely wasted."

"Did you know her?"

"Maybe?"

"Huh," Bill smirked and placed the cup onto one of the stands by the bed. He leaned back on his hands, the blanket slumping on his shoulders slightly. "You're a real charmer."

"Ah," Dipper glared at him slightly. "Thanks. Aaaanddd... third... well, I guess she didn't expect it, because she punched me right in the nose. I've still got the scar." He pointed to a small dent in his nose, the skin looking a little marred but still pretty normal. It's probably why Bill hadn't noticed it before. Bill laughed. "Ah man! Wish I was there to see that."

"Of course you do."

"Hmm," Bill hummed after he finished laughing. "So what about your fourth?" Dipper shrugged and looked back out the window. "I haven't had it yet. Most people I go out with sorta leave me within the first week... or day."

"Wow."

Dipper huffed. "Hey, I'm pretty anti-social. Not to mention most of those girls were recruited by my sister to hang with me. I doubt they were even really interested."

At the mention of his sister, Bill turned his gaze towards Dipper. The brunette didn't notice it but his expression faltered for a second. "Sister?" He tested, wondering if Dipper would tell him more. Dipper looked at Bill for a second and narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to recall something. "Yeah. I haven't told you about her?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

He sighed and drummed his pocket. His phone was still in there. Dipper wondered why he hadn't taken it out before he went to bed. Forgot, probably. "I'm just going to assume I haven't." He said before continuing on. "Well. Her name is Mabel and she's my twin. She's really eccentric and get's us into loads of trouble sometimes..."

* * *

"... I remember one time she actually saved us from plummeting to our deaths with this stupid, old grappling hook," Dipper chuckled. "Man, she practically _worshipped_ that thing."

Bill shared in his nostalgia, getting lost in the emotions. He remembered the old days when him and his brother used to mess around. William would always be scared to do something, and Bill would pressure him into doing it. Then... they'd both like it.

Of course he didn't bring up his own twin. No. It wasn't time for Dipper to know just yet.

"I wish I got to meet her," Bill remarked. "She sounds like a more fun you." Of course. Dipper rolled his eyes and shoved Bill. "Yeah right. Mabel would be a living nightmare for you. Too much Mabel Juice... you'd be rolling around in your grave wishing you had me back."

"Oh really now?" Bill raised his brow, recovering from the shove. "Didn't realize you thought that I needed you _that_ much."

Clearly it was a flirtatious remark, but Dipper swallowed his blush. If... you can do that. "I'm just saying-"

"It's alright, Pinetree." Bill pushed him back. "I know what you mean." Dipper rolled his eyes. _Sure you do..._

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. It was still raining outside, so they listened to it as it drummed against the glass of the window. It was nice. Just sitting here and talking about random shit, as if they weren't about to go and do something extremely dangerous. Dipper was glad that they got to put this mission to find the fountain aside for a second. Breaks like these weren't very frequent.

The rain halted for a second, before returning to a drizzle. Bill took this moment to say something, his expression slightly troubled. "You're lucky to have a family like you do, Pinetree." Dipper looked at Bill, his brow raised. "Treasure your sister."

Dipper blinked and chuckled slightly. He stood up and punched Bill's arm. "Why wouldn't I? Mabel is the world to me."

"I'm glad," Bill smiled. The brunette returned the gesture and headed towards the door. It's pretty late, but Dipper didn't have a watch on him to be able to tell the time. "You should head on to bed." He advised, earning a nod in reply. "Yeah alright. Sleep good, kid."

"Hm," Dipper yawns. "You too, Bill."

* * *

It was quiet for the rest of the night, which was something that was warmly welcomed by a certain brunette. Even though he had stayed up longer than previously expected, he felt well rested and great by dusk. Dipper had opted into staying in bed for about an hour more, listening to the same jazzy tune that him and Bill had danced to. It was something he'd never share with Bill, knowing that the blonde would take it the wrong way. Dipper just liked the song, not to mention it made him feel slightly nostalgic. While he listened to the song, he wrote down in his journal.

His journal had not only become a place where he recorded findings, but also a place where he could jot down his adventures. He hadn't written in it much until now, seeing how they were finally going to do some discovering. He wanted to remember every moment of this, so he was determined to record as much as possible during this trip. Which is why he had packed a ridiculous amount of disposable cameras, pens and pencils, paper, and multiple batteries for flashlights. Not to mention he had thought of every single possible outcome; bad or good. He was prepared for everything and anything.

When the hour had ended, he put down his journal and paused the song. Time to go wake up Bill, although Dipper was pretty sure the blonde was already awake. This wasn't quite the case as Dipper stepped out into the living room. He had expected Bill to be up watching the local news or something. Either that or eating all the dry breakfast. However there was nobody in the living room, kitchen, or bathroom.

Huh. Bill must still be asleep then.

Not something normal, but Dipper supposed it was reasonable. Bill had been driving and flying them around the place. If anything, he should be the one who was overly tired.

_Ah... that does make sense actually_

Maybe Dipper shouldn't bother him. The brunette pursed his lips and looked towards the kitchen. He should probably cook something... pancakes? Do they even have the supplies for that? Dipper went to the cabinets and found a half empty box of Bisquick sitting on the shelf. Wow, that's convenient. He smiled and brought it down before heading out to the car.

Last night he had only grabbed the suitcases, which meant that he still needed to unpack the cooler and all that. Dipper lugged the massive thing into the kitchen, grunting as he set it down. It didn't have wheels or anything, and he was pretty sure that it was filled to the brim with food. What kind of food? Dipper actually had no idea. All he knew was that Bill had filled it up and that it was packed before Dipper could really ask.

Dipper pulled open the lid and... _woah_.

The legends of the cornucopia had no beef on what was in this cooler. Meats, poultry, breads, cheeses... You know that really fancy grocery store that only millionaires go to? Everything there is hand produced and all that? Yeah, well, evidently Bill Cipher had a platinum membership there.

For someone who had lived off of ramen noodles and McDonald's chicken nuggets, this seemed like an absolute gift from God to Dipper. He swallowed the spit pooling in his mouth, trying his best not to think of how good all of this would taste cooked and sautéed. Dipper reached in and quickly found a glass container of butter milk. He gulped and brought it over to the counter, as well as the other ingredients he needed. He quickly got to work, mixing it all up before turning on the old stove, pouring the mixture onto the skillet.

Soon the air in the cottage began to fill up with the aroma of buttermilk pancakes. Dipper hummed as he cooked, his thoughts about today's plans putting him on autopilot. He wondered if they'd be heading out today. It was pretty nasty outside. The dark clouds still hung overhead, and it was still drizzling. It was probably humid, and no doubt the water would be murky. He plopped another pancake onto the ever growing plate beside him. Just as he did, he felt a presence behind him. Before he could react, Bill had wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling Dipper flush onto his front. "I hope you're going to share those with me," Dipper felt Bill murmur into his ear.

Dipper gulped and refused to blush. Bill was just trying to get a rise out of him, and Dipper wasn't letting it happen. He kept his posture and flipped another pancake. "I'm not sure I still want to, Bill." Dipper replied, not even looking back at the blonde. Bill simply huffed and moved away, hopping onto the counter beside the stove. "You're no fun." He remarked, crossing his arms over his chest. Dipper smirked and looked at his partner, "You know, all you have to do is say _please_."

"Oooor I could just take them."

Dipper raised his brow, resuming his focus on cooking. "Is it really that hard for you?"

Silence followed after that single question. After a minute or so, Dipper looked at Bill. His gaze was met with a pair of golden brown eyes. They looked at each other for a moment more before Bill turned his head to the side. "Can I _please_ have some pancakes?" He asked finally, a small blush painting his cheeks. Dipper didn't realize it but his mouth hung open slightly as he listened to the blonde say those simple words. After a second though, he broke out into laughter. Dipper smiled broadly and nodded. "Yeah sure Bill. You can have some." He managed, gesturing towards the plate.

Bill took a moment to move but finally hopped off the counter and grabbed a plate. He took some pancakes and glared at Dipper, but it didn't feel malicious at all to him. He could only smile and grin at Bill's stupid antics.

After Dipper finished, he turned off the stove and grabbed his own plate. Bill had already grabbed some syrup from one of the cabinets. It looked questionable, seeing how previous renters had left it there, but Dipper used it all the same. He sat down on the couch with Bill and noticed that the blonde hadn't even turned on the television. He was just staring out the window of the house, watching the dark sky. "So..." Dipper began. "Are we heading out today?"

"Yeah." Bill replied, going quiet for a moment before looking at Dipper. "Now, listen kid. Mer-people are... treacherous, to say in the least. Some of them are fairly weak, but other's are criminal in nature. Foreigners and humans especially are not exactly... creatures that mer-people necessarily _like_." Dipper nodded, not entirely convinced to be honest. He figured mer-people would be hospitable and docile. Apparently not. "So don't leave my side, alright?" Bill finished.

Dipper clicked his tongue and ate another bite of his meal. "Alright." Sure.

How scary could they be?

* * *

They took a moment to pack a few things. Bill told Dipper that it would be best if he didn't bring anything more than a flashlight and a knife. Both were things that Bill provided, even though Dipper had his own. Dipper complained and asked if he could bring his journal, but Bill simply scoffed. "Unless you want it to get drenched, I wouldn't take it." He had replied.

So here they were, carrying nothing more than what they needed (even though Dipper could argue that they needed much more). They had driven a little while away, just to a cove that seemed mostly uninhabited. There were some large structures surround it, and Dipper could only assume that was why they were here.

They walked out onto the sand, Bill flipping out his phone to check a map or something. Dipper hardly got to glance at it before Bill pocketed the device again. The blonde grinned, "Should be around here. You got the bag?" He asked, earning a grunt. Dipper adjusted the heavy sack on his shoulders, the stench of fish reeking from it. It didn't smell spoiled however. He knew that this was the stuff that Pyronica and Xanthar had brought back from Alaska, but he still didn't quite know what it was. "Hey Bill... what exactly is this stuff?"

Bill began to walk towards one of the large, cliff-like structures on the edge of the beach. "I though I already told you, kid. It's _novo piscium_ : fish that never spoils. It's only found in the North, so it's a pretty luxurious treat for the mer-people down here." He explained, earning a intrigued look by Dipper. The brunette walked up beside Bill, looking for more information. "Woah... so, can they only get it from humans?"

"Pft, yeah right," Bill scoffed. "They've got their own trading systems, Pinetree. Mer-people are just as advanced as humans are- except they've been around for _a lot_ longer. They've got goods from all over the world, and they direct most of their trade right in the center of the Atlantic."

_Woah... dammit Bill, why'd you make me keep my journal back at the cottage?_

They rounded the corner of one of the rock walls and Dipper noticed Bill's expression brighten. "Jackpot. C'mon Pinetree." Bill disappeared around the edge. Dipper took in a breath and rounded the corner, finding himself at the entrance of a crack in the wall. It was small enough to remain undetected by most, but large enough to squeeze through.

Dipper pushed through, noticing that Bill had already made it in. He had a little trouble getting the sack through, but he eventually did. When they finally managed to get through, he realized that the place was actually lit up by holes in the ceiling of the grotto. "Woah..." Dipper murmured, spotting Bill not too far away. "So.. is this where the mer-people hang out?"

Bill looked around the grotto and spotted the edge of the water. Evidently there was a hole in the wall of the front of the cave, making a passage for seawater. "No. It's where they take offerings." Bill gestured for Dipper to come over to where he stood. After a moment he finally walked over, bag still slung pnto his shoulder. "You see that?"

He pointed to the water. There was a single ray of light shining onto a metal ring embedding into the sand just below the surface of the water. It looked big enough to sit in, but Dipper couldn't tell what kind of metal was made of. There were things growing on it that hid most of it, but little specks of it glinted in the light. "That's the offering circle. Go ahead and put the bag in there, and hopefully it's enough." Bill instructed.

_Enough?_

"What exactly are we paying for?" Dipper tested, a little wary of what was about to happen.

"Transportation."

"Can I please have more than that?"

Bill chuckled. "You'll see."

Dipper put his questions aside. Right. Now is not the time, just... let's see if this works. He put the bag down into the circle, watching as it sunk slightly into it. He watched it, waiting for something to happen. Bill on the other hand was looking at the entrance, where the water came in.

Nothing was happening. "Uh... Bill-"

"Shut up, kid." Bill put his hand out, silencing him. Dipper pursed his lips but followed Bill's gaze. He nearly jumped out of his skin. He saw a wake heading towards them, a fin out of the water. It almost looked like a shark was approaching them, but then Dipper saw it. A face revealed itself out of the water, gray and featureless besides two large eyes and a mouth.

_Is that..._

" _Salve homines_." It croaked out, it's voice sounding much like a drowning cat hissing. Somehow, Bill managed to understand the strange language and replied back with concise answer. " _Salutem. Anglicus tu loqueris_?" The creature nodded. "Indeed. Were you the one who gave payment?" The creature asked, it's voice sounding weirder than before. "Yep." Bill nodded.

"I see," it began, wide eyes drifting towards Dipper. The creature visibly tensed up, although it seemed more relaxed at the sight of Bill. "Then what is it that you seek?"

The blonde grinned, "A kiss, passage into your domain, council with the king. The big city is around here, right-?"

"I refuse."

The mer-person replied almost automatically, it's voice stern. Bill quickly narrowed his eyes. "Why?" He asked, his tone darkening. "You _humans_ should know. You're kind hasn't been welcomed into our realm for nearly a decade now. Unless you have special rights of passage from the king then-"

"You mean this?" Bill pulled off one of his rings. Dipper watched as he tossed it to the creature. It caught the ring with a flourish, inspecting it for a moment. The brunette blinked. He had noticed before that Bill had a lot of rings, but he figured they were just for show. Was one of them from...

"Oh," came the reply of the mer-person. "For... Forgive me. I didn't realize..." Bill quickly waved off the apology, opening his hand up. The creature swam over to Bill, rather than tossing the ring back, and extended the gold piece out to him. Bill took it up and placed it back onto his finger. "No problem! You taking us or what?"

It nodded. "Ye.. Yes, of course. Come." The mer-person drifted out more into the water. Bill readily hopped into the pool, his clothes quickly becoming soaked. Dipper hesitantly followed after him, wary of the water. He had never been a huge fan of the ocean, and the movie Jaws and various Monster Quest films had made sure of that. The feeling of dread didn't lift as he submerged himself deeper and deeper into the murky and dark water. He stuck close to Bill, their shoulders practically connected in Dipper's effort to be near him.

"What the hell was that all about?" Dipper whispered as he felt the water reach his chest. "Mermaid politics," Bill replied shortly. "I helped settle a war in exchange for some... supplies. It's no big deal."

"No big deal-"

Bill elbowed him slightly. "Eyes on the prize, Pinetree."

They waded further into the water until Dipper felt the surface tickle the base of his neck. He felt extremely exposed and vulnerable, especially when he looked the mer-person straight in the eyes. At this distance, he could make out every detail. Round and alien-like murky green eyes. Pale, nearly gray fleshy skin and a smooth face. No nose, but a mouth that was drawn into a tight line. There were no lips.

_How the hell am I supposed to kiss that..._

"I'll take you to the palace. You may meet the king there." It said before approaching Bill. The blonde seemed completely relaxed as the creature embraced his face. There was no movement, but then Bill leaned forward and their foreheads connected.

It was almost instantaneous. Bill was there, and then he wasn't. From how Dipper saw it, the water just seemed to _pull him_ under the surface. There was a thunk, but Bill was gone. Dipper began to panic. "What did you-"

Before Dipper could react, the mer-person had done the same to him. Except there wasn't a pleasant expression on it's face... no.

This time there were teeth bared at Dipper, sharp and needle-like.

" _Vale creaturae_."

* * *

_Soft_

Dipper shifted, a coolness washing over him.

_Coiling_

Wake up.

Brown eyes darted open. Blue. Blue all around. Dipper groaned. There was a horrible aching in his forehead and a tightness in his chest. Where was he? Why was everything so blue? Is that...

Dipper looked down and realized he was laying on a bed of _kelp_. He let out a gasp, bubbles coming out of his mouth. A hand quickly shot up to cover his lips, but then he realized that...

_Wait... I can-_

The hand fell to his side as Dipper took in a large breath.

What.

_I'm underwater and I can BREATHE?_

Panic began to set in. What the hell was going on? Where was Bill? Bill! "Bill!" Dipper shouted, hoping that somehow his partner would hear him. His voice came out clear and concise, much to his surprise. There were no gurgles or anything. It was as if he were shouting something while being on land. Except he wasn't.

He quickly realized that they must've gotten separated. How though? Wasn't that mer-person supposed to take them to the palace or something?

_Was it trying to separate us?_

Dipper remembered what it had said to him before he blacked out. How it had _looked_ at him.

_Vale creaturae_

What did that even mean? Dipper pushed the thought aside, because as much as he was confused, he _really_ did not want to be in open water like this. He didn't care if he being hunted down by some weird mer-person, he cared that Bill wasn't there and that there could quite possibly be a giant squid around.

Okay, probably not a giant squid, but something terrifying and huge. "Bill!" He shouted again, desperate for a response.

He got one. "Pinetree!" Came a distant call. "Where the hell are you-"

" _Nos videre eum_!"

" _Illic_!"

Relief flooded over him as a group of well-armored mer-people swam towards him. Beside them was Bill, who was being escorted by one of the guards. Dipper guessed that they were supposed to be helping him swim, seeing how they were swimming _really_ fast.

Once they were close enough, Bill swam towards Dipper and knocked him upside the shoulder. It was a pretty hard hit too, even though they were underwater. "Ow!" Dipper hissed in pain. "What the hell man?"

"Why'd you end up here?" The blonde growled back, clearly angry. "I don't know! Bill, you hardly explained any of this to me!" Dipper quipped, earning a dark look from Bill. The look went away in a matter of seconds though, as Bill realized Dipper was telling the truth. It made sense. He said something to the guards in that same language. Dipper was beginning to believe that it was Latin.

The mer-people inspected Dipper, offering a shrug after a moment. They replied back to Bill, although it apparently wasn't satisfactory because Bill looked absolutely _pissed_. He shot something back at them before grumbling, "An accident... bullshit..." The blonde roughly took Dipper's hand. "Regardless. Pinetree, we're heading back to the palace to find the ruins of-"

"Bill!"

_Uh, fuck no. I have been transported to WHO KNOWS WHERE and he's trying to lug me around AGAIN?_

Dipper pulled his hand away. "Will you tell me _what the hell is happening_?" He was not just going to sit here in the dark while Bill tried to _keep_ him in the dark. He wanted to know what was happening so he could at least help or _something_.

"I'll..." Bill began, but ended with a sigh. He looked at Dipper sadly, tiredness weighing heavily on his eyes. "I'll explain on the way. Is that alright?"

_Is that alright?_

"Fine." Dipper agreed, all his anger being squashed by that simple question. Bill clearly felt attacked by this whole situation, and he was probably... wait, was he worried about Dipper? The brunette looked at Bill and smiled slightly. He reached out and took Bill's hand again, offering it a reassuring squeeze. Bill offered him the smallest of grins and turned back towards the mer-people. " _Duc nos_." He said, pulling Dipper towards one of the guards.

They parted ways as the mer-people practically hugged them. Dipper felt awkward as his escort clung onto him, but Bill seemed to be experiencing the same treatment. It seemed a little ridiculous that they do this, but Dipper soon found out the purpose. He could hardly blink before they shot off like a bullet into the distant waters.

Water tugged at Dipper's face as they raced forward. They zipped over reefs, mounds of rocks, even some debris from who knows what. Wow... had Bill really traveled _this_ far to find Dipper? He really had to give that guy credit, seeing how it didn't feel like he'd been passed out for very long.

Suddenly, they came to a halt. Or, well, they were still swimming, but not nearly as fast. Dipper let out a breath and looked towards Bill, who was actually chatting with his guard. The mer-person said something back to him, and Bill frowned. Yeesh. Dipper needed to learn latin, because he was pretty sure Bill was saying something really rude and funny right now.

He sighed and returned his attention back to where they were heading. And _boy_ , was he surprised.

Buildings, streets, _more_ mer-people. It was like a metropolis version of Atlantis. The whole place was built up of rock and shells, but it all seemed so... modern. Well, despite the fact that their was a giant castle-looking building up ahead. Dipper didn't quite know how to place it. He turned to Bill, finding that he was actually staring at him. Dipper blinked, "Uh... is this Atlantis?" He asked dumbly, not really thinking about it. Bill snorted and actually cracked a grin. "After all that has just happened, that's what you ask? I thought I told you Atlantis is just a children's tale."

A blush actually managed to form on his cheeks from embarrassment. _Quick, think of something witty_. "So is the Fountain of Youth." He replied. _Nice one_. Bill clicked his tongue and raised his brow. "Touché," he remarked. "To answer your question though, no, this is not Atlantis. This is the original _Bimini_."

"You're serious?"

"Why would I not be?"

The guards slowed down to the point where they were just swimming as fast as an average human would swim. They flicked their tails one last time before releasing Bill and Dipper. Dipper looked down and realized they were sinking right onto a platform at the end of a steep set of steps.

They land softly onto the beach rock in front of... wait, where were they? He looked up and quickly realized that they were at the entrance to a _huge_ palace. The outside told enough about the building- and the least that could be said about this place was that it was _enormous_. Far beyond the size of any building Dipper had ever been to.

"C'mon kid." Bill touched his shoulder, returning his attention to the task at hand. Dipper nodded awkwardly, a bit dazed by his rapid thoughts. Bill led him into the palace, the large _golden_ gates taking them inside. "So... you know the king or whatever?" He offered after a moment, his eyes drifting over the large hallways. They were having to swim around, so he got to see everything from pretty much every angle.

"Not whatever." Bill rolled his eyes. "But I do know the king."

"Is that beneficial?"

"So far? Yes."

Dipper nodded and began to hum a tune, trying to ease the silence between them. "Ah... so what's he like?"

"He's a walker."

"A what?"

"Pinetree, I'm really starting to hate repeating myself."

"Fine," Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose. " _What_ is a walker?"

"You'll see."

Oh my God... The brunette let out a groan and mock imitated Bill's voice. "I'm really starting to hate hearing you say that..."

They made it to the throne room. It's just as large as Dipper expected, and just as decorated. There are guards lining each wall, and at the end of the room sat a large and ornate throne. Atop it sat the most gorgeous man that Dipper had ever seen. It was warmly welcomed considering the fact that he had just spent a good part of his day being surrounded by fish people, and that he'd spent three months with Bill (AH, GET REKT BILL). Dipper quickly realized that this guy isn't really a "man". He had a long and beautifully decorated teal tail. That was the only alien entity on him though.

_Long brown hair.. tan skin... he's actually really- WAIT A SECOND_

_"_ HOLY SHIT THAT'S MERMANDO!"

Dipper didn't realize how loud he was until he saw every single head turn towards his direction. Even Bill, who looked a little surprised by the outburst. He flinched slightly once he noticed everyone staring. The king stood- or well, swam upright and locked his eyes onto Dipper. He finally recognized the boy and swam towards the two. "Ah! My old friend, Dipper!" The brunette quickly found himself trapped in the embrace of a beautiful merman. "We meet again!"

Mermando suddenly kissed Dipper on the cheek. His face flared up, but he suppressed most of his emotions and cracked a grin. "Dude! I haven't seen you in... years!" He reckoned. Mermando nodded, a smile on his face. "I know! I know! It is good to see you! How is my dearest Mabel doing?" He finally conceded in his very thick Spanish drawl. Dipper wasn't surprised that he was asking. Mabel had dated him in high school for a good period of time. Dipper didn't really know how or why, but...

"She's doing great! Um..." Dipper gestured towards his fishtail. "I didn't realize that..." Mermando stopped him before he could finish his sentence. "Ah," he hummed, "Of course not. It's not a secret I like to share among your kind."

_Your kind_

Dipper pushed the memory away. "I can understand."

"Yes..." Mermando sighed. "Even Mabel could not know! Although, I believe that she would be very accepting."

"Dude, she'd love you even _more_."

He nodded and chuckled softly. "It is a shame. Me and her cannot be together, but she was a very lovely girl." The merman cleared his throat and turned towards Bill. "How coincidental you two know each other! Two friends under the same sea, what luck!"

Bill nodded and smirked. He leaned over and rested an elbow onto Dipper's shoulder. The brunette glared at him for the gesture. "Yeah, you could say that. Now, back to business before we got _interrupted_."

* * *

The three of them escaped to a private meeting room. The door's were locked by the request of Mermando, who soon admitted that the place that they were looking for was deemed sacred to many mer-people. It was a tomb that wasn't far off from the Bimini Roads. It appeared as a small crevice in a rock, nearly undetectable by those who were not looking for it.

Inside was supposed to be an area without water, almost like another grotto, that led deeper into the ground. Once you arrived further into it, you'd be greeted by a maze of tunnels and hallways. There'd be traps, but at the very end there would be...

"... It's a healing well," Mermando explained. "It is something my people have tried to reach for a millennia. There... aren't many of us who can go in there, seeing how very few of us can walk on land." Dipper blinked, and sat up in the chair he was sitting in. "Why don't you just flood the place?"

Bill shook his head and crossed his arms. "It would dilute the healing wells powers if any of that water got in there, making it practically useless." Mermando nodded, "Precisely. The powers of the healing well are... unknown to us. Stories have told us that it can cure any disease. Some even say that it gives you eternal youth."

Dipper perked up at that. "Bill, do you think...?" Could that really be it? The fountain? Bill grinned. "Who knows, kid. I guess we'll find out."

Mermando bit his lip, sighing. "Cipher, Dipper... You must be very careful if you insist on going to that place."

The blonde is quick to shrug off the concern. He walked towards the door and gestured for Dipper to follow.

"Don't worry, we're prepared."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY: So here my replies to the comments
> 
> Dear WeirdWorldOrder,  
> Thank you so much for telling me that ;w; It is the hardest thing ever to decided whether or not I'm pinning the characters correctly. It's especially hard to get Bill just right because whenever I invision what Bill is saying, all I hear is a really cocky British man. Why? I have no idea, tbh XD BUT, I do know that Bill is NOT a cocky British man, and that I can't do that. Or... well I could, but it's not part of the story. (btw that's why I added Kryptos as a stupid British fuck *aka wheatley*, because I needed it to keep my sanity). As for the Pines? THANK GOD I'M DOING THAT RIGHT. It's the hardest thing EVER to not just make Dipper some super sarcastic asshole. That's just how I see him as an adult XD he's tried really hard to get rid of that wimpy side of him, and sarcasm is his defense mechanism.  
> Thank you so much ;w;,  
> Hashbrown
> 
> Dear Incredibill,  
> AND THANK GAWD FOR THIS AS WELL. I thought I was going too fast with the relationships ;w; at some points the fluff just feels so forced and.. ugh. You know? It's good to hear that, because I'm just over here crying because I'm pretty sure the relationship sounds like me just forcing heads together so that they kiss. BTW the story is going somewhere good -w- I hope.  
> Your name is a pun,  
> Hashbrown
> 
> Dear Angel_of_Mysteries,  
> THANK YOU FOR NOTICING. I'm not trying to sound deranged about this, but I have quite literally been thinking about this plot ever since I bought "Rise of the Tomb Raider". If you've played the game, then I bet you can point out a shit load of comparisons. And yeah, as for the planning... it's painful XD I'm not going to lie. I've figured out the entire plot, I have written it down, and I cry over it every night. Jk on that last part, but I do plan out the chapters and stuff before I write them. I've experienced a lot of writers blocks and they always lead me to the same place: abandoning the story. THAT is not something I want to happen here, so I'm DETERMINED not to let it happen. And thank you for mentioning POV, because that's something I'm actually pretty passionate about XD It's so hard to include how everyone is feeling when you're basing the story around a single person, so I do my best. I want you guys to know EXACTLY what is going on, otherwise you'll get confused and I won't get reviews like this (lol). AND, yep. Emotions. This fanfic was supposed to be fluff and angst at it's best/worst. For the Will scene, I tried to make it as non-revealing as possible, while still hanging a huge angst and feels sign over it. I had to put him there though, because he'll be important later.  
> #niceshirt,  
> Hashbrown
> 
> Dear Rityuu,  
> HELLO. LOLS you just rekt Dipper XD I love it! Anyways, I WILL CONTINUE THE STORY. I've gotten a lot more support than I thought I would have XD So I see no reason to quit. And as for the trips? Well, they'll be going somewhere alright, heh. (totally not foreshadowing something lolsssssss)  
> Your name is beautiful,  
> Hashbrown
> 
> That's it for all the comments! Thank you guys so much for reaching out to me with your opinions on the story! Sorry about the picture technical issues ;w; did my duty and fixed it-- unless you're banned from Tumblr or something, lols XDDD 
> 
> HAVE A NICE DAY


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heading back to the cottage-- lots of fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was originally going to write another 2000 or so more words for this, but the clock was ticking and it was almost the end of Sunday ;w; SO- I pushed this out. Hopefully it's good enough for now- plot is happening... like... a lot of plot...
> 
> COUGHCOUGH
> 
> Anyways. Sorry for being a little later on this one. I have Final tomorrow so I had to study and type up about 4000 words. I should've finished yesterday... but I just bought overwatch and... ugh. I'm sorry XDDD it's a really fun game ;w;
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH PEOPLE FOR KUDO...ING AND REVIEWING-- IT MEANS A LOT TO ME ;w;

You could say the journey back was just as exciting as the adventure itself.

Castles. Mermaids. Stories of ruins and riches.

You might think that they made the rest of the day seem practically normal. Oh how wrong you'd be. Strange turned into even stranger when Dipper got to dine with a fish prince, talk to his manatee wife, and then ride dolphins back to shore. None of it felt numbing; in fact it felt _extraordinary_.

Dipper broke into a fit of breathless giggles as they finally waded their way back to shore. His clothes and everything were drenched, but he couldn't be happier. That whole experience was easily becoming his favorite memory. The mission had been a success, they weren't dead, and now they knew _exactly_ what they were going to do. Mermando had laid out exactly what was in the tomb, where it was, and how they'd get there. Apparently him and his people wouldn't take them to the exact location of the ruins, but Dipper was ushered into a large dining hall before he could ask why.

The mer-people were incredibly welcoming once the king had labeled him and Bill as "friends". They were all eager to serve them, even though Bill was looking to leave. The mer-people might not have noticed it, but Bill was incredibly tense as Mermando insisted that they stay for a feast. Dipper had no idea why Mermando would ask them to stay for some huge meal, seeing how it probably was a little past lunch time.

All the same, they were stuffed to the brim with a large quantity of fish and crustaceans. There were hardly any greens on the table, and Dipper had to wonder if this was like eating someone's cousin. He'd definitely rethink eating seafood next time he passed by that isle in the grocery store. Bill told him that he shouldn't feel bad, but Dipper still ate less than he could've.

After that, Mermando brought in his manatee wife. She said a lot apparently, but it was all just a bunch of gurgles and bubbles to Dipper. Mermando laughed and kissed on her, and he seemed pretty content with it. So hey, who could Dipper judge? He looked over towards Bill at some point to find him flipping through his phone. Dipper was amazed the device wasn't crushed by the pressure of the water above them, but clearly if this thing could handle pool water then it could handle undersea pressure. He silently wished that most phones were as industrialized as that thing.

Finally they were waved off. Bill offered a smile and thanked Mermando, saying that he wished he could've stayed longer. It was extremely modest of him. The entire time they were there, Bill looked just about ready to flip a table. At least, he looked like that every time Dipper turned his attention towards the blonde.

They were given two dolphins, something entirely too cliché, to resurface. Apparently as soon as they broke surface, the kiss would wear off and they'd be stuck breathing air again. Not that Dipper minded. The feeling of sucking in water was still uncomfortably foreign to him.

And that was exactly what happened. They quickly reached the ocean's surface and their rides dragged them back to land. Not all the way onto the shore, but close enough for them to wade back onto the beach. They weren't a considerable distance away from the grotto, which came as a welcome relief to Dipper. He was really happy and ecstatic with their accomplishments, but his limbs were tired.

Hell, he'd been swimming for who knows how long! Sure him and Bill would go train in the lake from time to time (even though the water was frigid), but not for hours like today. His arms ached, but he was sure a good dose of Pyronica's formula or an aspirin would fix him right up. And a good nap... yeah. That sounded pretty good right now. Just some rest and maybe a beer.

Dipper stood up straight and turned to face the ocean. "That was _incredible_!" He gasped out. Bill rolled his eyes at the outburst. "You're too easy to impress, kid." He remarked, earning a huff from Dipper.

Of course, Bill had probably seen much more remarkable things. A city under the sea surely wasn't that big of a deal to him, but it definitely was to Dipper. "So Bill, I've got some questions."

"Naturally."

"Why is Mermando married to a manatee?"

"I recommended it."

"Seriously?"

"Pinetree, I'm always serious."

"Why did you recommend it?"

"Well..."

* * *

"... So in the end, I stopped a war from happening."

"Woah," Dipper sat back in his chair. They were riding back to the cottage, and Bill had got caught up explaining the war between the mer-people and the manatees. This marriage had put an end to a conflict that had been going on since the beginning of the 1800s. Now the manatees of the Florida Groves lived in peace with the mer-people. It was a dramatic story, considering that manatees were incredibly adorable with their flappy hands. Can you imagine it? Mabel would be brought to tears if she saw a manatee murdered, Dipper thought. "You're really a hero to them, aren't you?"

Bill shrugged and nodded silently. "To some." He said distantly, avoiding Dipper's eyes. The boy sat up to get a better look at Bill. He looked serious, as if something were weighing heavily on him. The blonde must've noticed that Dipper had caught onto his somber attitude, because he instantly offered a smile. "I'm pretty great though, so it's no wonder they treat me so well." Bill bragged, although it sounded really forced. Dipper wanted to press the topic of what was bothering him, but put it aside.

_Don't meddle in his personal affairs_

That rule was beginning to cloud the air between him and Bill. He could hardly tell what that man was thinking anymore. He hid it so well. Before it was so easy to tell whether or not Bill was troubled, even if it was over the oddest of things. Now he just looked so...

_Serious_

They fell into silence, Bill only once or twice leaning over to change the radio station. Dipper didn't bother with complaining when Bill changed to a station with horrible reception. The man apparently wasn't bothered by the fact that you could hardly hear the pop song. Maybe Bill just liked the sound of static, and the horrible beeping that came on from time to time when the music actually made it through.

Sooner or later they reached the cottage. Dipper had lost track of the time, even though he had a watch strapped to his wrist. He assumed that it was around 5 or 6 in the evening. Taking a quick glance down at his wrist, he confirmed his suspicions. It was nearly 7. The sun was probably just about to set.

Dipper hopped out of the van and grabbed his phone. He'd left it in the glove compartment, just in case something happened. Not that it'd be much help if Bill got hurt or if they were still underwater. Now that he thought about it, there was really no point in bringing it along.

He walked around the van and found Bill standing in front of his door, looking down at the ground.

"... Bill?"

The man quickly looked up at Dipper, his expression faltering for only a second before he offered a grin. "Yeesh kid. Stop looking at me like I'm a lost puppy." Bill joked, but Dipper only let his frown deepen. Okay, now he was concerned. Bill never looked like that. Sometimes he got frustrated, or even mad, but never _depressed_. He rolled his eyes, "Alright Pinetree. Since you insist on frowning, how about we _celebrate_ what we've done today, alright?"

Dipper furrowed his brow, but managed a small smile. "You sound like you've got something in mind?" The change in his mood apparently satisfied Bill, because he practically sprinted up the steps of the cottage and ran inside. Dipper followed shortly behind, curious as to what Bill had in store.

What he saw didn't surprise him, but it was certainly impressive. Bill had pulled aside the large rug just outside of the kitchen area, which revealed a trap door with no handle below. Ah, that's probably how Dipper never noticed it. To him the floor there just seemed unstable, something not entirely uncommon for a beach cottage like this one. Bill dug his fingers underneath the edge of one of the sides and brought it up.

Underneath was a connoisseur's galore. Wines, beers, meads, liquors... rum. Oh, that cellar _reeked_ of alcohol. Any normal person may have been repelled by the stench, but after the events of that day, this is _exactly_ what Dipper wanted. He couldn't help the rising grin on his face. All the worry he had previously felt washed away.

Him and Bill had been spending the entire couple months together, which meant _many_ trips to the bar. Dipper had grown accustomed to all sorts of beverages thanks to Pyronica. Rum was becoming a personal favorite of his, so this was well welcomed.

"Heads up!" Dipper just barely managed to catch a murky bottle of rum that Bill had flung at him. His hands wrapped around the thin head of the glass. Dipper inspected it, noting that this thing looked... old... wait...

"Bill, where is this from?" He asked just as Bill walked up the steps that led down into the stash. The blonde was holding his own bottle of something else. Dipper couldn't quite identify it, seeing that none of this stuff had labels. He could only recognize his own beverage because of the stench, but maybe it was just the smell that lingered from all the other bottles. Dipper pushed the thought aside and allowed Bill to answer. The blonde just smirked and bumped his shoulder, making his way towards the front door. "I think the better question is _when_." He remarked before heading out onto the porch.

Dipper followed shortly behind. He watched as Bill pulled himself onto the railing of the porch, resting his head back onto one of the columns supporting the porch roof. The brunette walked up to the other half of the railing, sitting just a foot away from Bill. He let his feet dangle over the edge just above a few hedge bushes that looked like they really needed a trimming. "Okay then," He began. "So when were these made?"

"Hmm..." Bill tapped the lip of the glass onto his chin. "I'd saaaay... around the late sixteenth century?"

"You're joking."

"Why do you always think that I'm not being serious?"

Dipper inspected his beverage, setting it down in his lap for a second. "Who'd it belong to?" He pulled out the cork. It felt old and degraded in his hand. Dipper wondered if this was even safe to drink, but Bill was already drinking out of his bottle. The blonde wiped a bit of the brown liquid off his face when it dribbled down his chin. "Well, you may not know this name, but it belonged to the pirate Black Caesar."

"I think Ford mentioned him at some point... Or maybe I read it somewhere," Dipper tried. He brought the lip of his bottle to his mouth and took a long swig. Almost immediately he felt his throat burn. The sweet taste of rum numbed his tongue. Oh shit! Dipper sputtered and coughed. Bill laughed, "Careful kid. This stuff is made for macho pirating men." He teased.

"Shut up Bill."

"Fine, fine." Bill offered one final chuckle before continuing on. "Well, Black Caesar was a pirate who roamed the Keys. He was a _massive_ man from Africa. Black and desired by slave traders, as you can imagine." Dipper nodded, finally recovered from chugging something so acidic. "So if he was in Africa, and he was _that_ huge, then how'd he make it to Florida to stash his booze?" Dipper asked.

The blonde grinned, "Ah so you see... Caesar was tricked onto a ship with riches and entrancing entertainment. Once he was nice and comfy, the traders undocked the ship and captured him." Dipper raised his brow and took another swig, this one smaller. It burned less, but there was still that pungent taste. He smacked his lips together. "Sounds like a pretty cliché downfall for a pirate. I'm assuming there's some epic escape with fire and explosions?"

"Heh, not quite." Bill let his leg fall down to his side, swinging it slightly over the edge as it dangled. "He didn't have many friends on the ship besides the warriors he was captured with. After a while though, he befriended a sailor who fed the prisoners. Soon he began to refuse food unless it was coming from that one man." He made a dismissive gesture with his hands. "Storm comes around, the sailor frees him, and they escape on some long boats. For a while they went around pretending to be wreck survivors; letting ships take them in and then turning on them with guns as they demanded supplies."

"He sorta sounds like a dick." Dipper remarked, chuckling. "No wonder you were the one to find his stash." The comment clearly didn't upset Bill, because he didn't even acknowledge it as he continued on. "They get a lot of treasure from that, but their friendship came to end not long after. The sailor fell in love with the same woman as Caesar, and Caesar killed him." Bill shrugged. "He went off pirating on his own after that. Got more treasure, claimed an island as his own, and even ended up joining Blackbeard's crew as a lieutenant."

Dipper nodded his head in understanding. "I'm not sure if he's an idiot or not." This drew out a laugh from Bill. The man leaned his head back against the beam behind him and looked off towards the front yard. "Nah, he was pretty intelligent. He had clever ways of avoiding people. It kept him safe for most of his life."

"Most of it?"

Bill stopped from taking another swig to answer the question. "Well he ended up getting captured, and he was eventually hung for his crimes."

"Sounds pretty cliché."

"Does everything sound that way to you?"

"Only when it's something as generic as a pirate's life." Dipper reasoned.

"So you want a non-generic story?"

"If you've got one."

"Well then," the blonde cleared his voice. "Let me tell you about José Gaspar..."

* * *

"... Haul on the bowline, the bowline haul!"

"Haul on the bowline, the old man is a-growlin!"

"Haul on the bowline, the bowline haul!"

The two burst out into laughter as they sang sea shanties on the porch. The sun had long since set, but here Dipper and Bill were, having a blast as they sang old favorites. Dipper had once read a book on shanties, so he only knew the really popular ones. "Haul on the Bowline" just so happened to be his favorite.

It was shocking he could recall it though, seeing how he was head over heels drunk right now. He could hardly keep focused on Bill, and the man was literally sitting only a foot away from him. Speak of the devil, Bill was holding his liquor quite fine. He made sure he was able to. After all, so many things could happen if he were intoxicated. Now was not the time to play it risky, especially with what was at stake.

Evidently he didn't mind at all that Dipper was drunk. The brunette had fallen over twice, and every time he moved he seemed visibly disorientated. Bill wasn't complaining though. Dipper and him and gone out plenty, so you could say that Bill had gotten used to his ditzy behavior. If anything, it was adorable. It only became a burden when he started purposefully poking the blonde's buttons.

Well, probably not purposefully, but just making him mad in general. Dipper was fine now though, and they were actually having a blast just singing and screwing around. Dipper still hung upside down on the ledge, his face turning red from the flow of blood heading south. "Ar! That be a good shanty!" He exclaimed in his generic pirate voice. Clearly it wasn't very good, because Bill only chuckled. "Kid, you aren't a pirate."

"How'd you know?" Dipper pouted, trying to look perplexed.

"Well for one," Bill snatched up Dipper's halfway drunk bottle of rum, earning a small protest from the younger. "Pirate's don't get drunk from drinking half of a bottle of rum. Second," he tossed the bottle back to Dipper, who just barely caught it as he sat up. "You aren't half the size of someone like ol' Caesar. You still can't even put up a decent fight against me when we spar."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No."

"I think you're just- bah!" Dipper clucked like a chicken. "Wait no is that- BAH BAH! Oh no that's- BAAAAH! Yeah right, a bunch of chickens!"

The blonde narrowed his gaze, not really sure whether or not he should be offended. No. Probably not.

Well, what's the harm? Bill raised his brow, "Alright kid. Do you challenge me to a duel?" Dipper nodded with a grin. "Yeah! Bill Cipher, I challenge you to a duel!" He proclaimed. Dipper pointed his index finger directly at Bill dramatically. Unfortunately it led to him falling back into one of the bushes. Bill rolled his eyes.

God. This was going to be easy.

Dipper rose out of the bushes, screaming bloody murder. Bill couldn't tell if it was a battle cry or if Dipper had got a branch stuck up his back. Regardless, it wasn't scary to say in the least. Maybe to a couple of squirrels, but not a full grown man. "Alright Pinetree," Bill calmly walked off the porch and put his hands on his hips. "Where's our weapons? Or are we going to fight this one out with our fists?"

The brunette hummed in thought and looked around. Then he caught sight of a low hanging tree just by the house and ran towards it. Dipper tripped on the bush, but managed to stumble up as he headed towards the oak. Once he made it there, he stole two branches right off the tree. They were thicker than a thumb, but not extraordinarily long. There were hardly any smaller branches coming off of them too, so Dipper didn't even think twice before tossing one to Bill.

Well, tossing might be an understatement. Dipper practically boomerang threw the thing, and Bill hardly had enough time to dodge it before it whacked him square in the face. Bill stumbled back and grabbed his nose, which seemed to be the injured area. "Yeesh, kid! You're even playing by the pirate rules." Bill chuckled, picking up the branch and holding it out like a real cutlass. "I guess I won't play fair either then."

Oh uh. Dipper blinked, not sure of what to say. He was about to say an apology, like he didn't mean to do that, but Bill was already charging at him.

Legs, arms, neck... that stick literally hit Dipper's _everything_. And it absolutely hurt like _hell_. He had heard stories of his friend's parents getting whacked with birch branches, but it had never happened to him before. This thing was an _oak_. Did all branches hurt like this?! Now he seriously regretted laughing when people described punishments and spankings with branches.

They traveled all over the yard in Dipper's desperate attempts to avoid a man armed with a piece of wood. None were very successful until they neared the same oak that Dipper had stolen the branches from. Somehow, just _somehow_ , Dipper managed to duck underneath a swing and kick up into...

... well, where the sun doesn't shine.

Bill let out a grunt. The blonde closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, as if trying to hold back intense agony. Dipper didn't even move. He didn't know if he should attack or apologize or-

"Well played kid."

Hands grabbed both of his wrists and violently pushed him against the oak. Dipper let out his own gasp and closed his eyes. "... But you're going to have to try _a lot_ harder than that." Bill finished, standing unnecessarily close to the brunette as he pinned him against the tree.

_Don't open your eyes..._

But he did anyways. Dipper opened his large brown eyes to find Bill inches away from his face. His golden irises glowed in the moonlight, just like they had the day Bill had recruited him into Mindscape. It sounded so cliché and stupid but...

Bill chuckled, clearly noticing that Dipper's face had gone nearly tomato red. "You know, Pinetree," He began. "In all my years, I have met few as extraordinary as you." Bill murmured.

_..._

Dipper opened his mouth to say something, but he really couldn't. This had never happened before. He was absolutely _speechless_. Did Bill honestly mean that? He didn't know what to think. In fact, his mind was racing. What did Bill mean by that?

The familiar aching feeling in his heart returned. That _horrible_ feeling that he got last month when...

No. No! _Dipper, if you seriously intend on going through with a crush you have on some crazy fuck like this-_

But of course.

Dipper found himself leaning up towards Bill, wanting so desperately to kiss him. He smelled like alcohol and the ocean. It was a strange scent, but it was nearly intoxicating. Dipper wondered if he smelled like that as well, seeing how he hadn't changed out of his clothes either. Bill didn't move away. No, instead he let loose a grin and moved his lips closer to Dipper's.

The promise that Bill had to himself, to not go out and play with Dipper, it was crumbling. It had been for a while, but there was still that small voice of reason (which he usually never listened to) that told him to stay away. Dipper was a deer. Something that was meant to be watched, but you'd never be able to touch it or else it would run away. Pinetree was letting him touch him though, and he wasn't running away.

_This is alright_

_This is okay_

_This is per-_

_"Bill_!" Came a voice from his back pocket.

Their lips had hardly even brushed when Dipper and Bill heard it. Both paused, mouths not even centimeters apart.

_Oh. My. Fucking. No._

Bill drew back, staring at Dipper for a minute. The brunette had somehow turned an even deeper shade of red. "Oh um... you gonna take that?" Dipper was so thankful that he didn't stutter. This was already horrible enough. Bill loosened his grip on Dipper's wrist. "I don't know. Should I?" He murmured, earning a shiver from Dipper. _Quick! Come up with a not stupid answer!_ "It's fine... you probably should take it if it's the rentals or whatever." Bill nodded, letting go of Dipper.

The boy slowly lowered his arms and rubbed the place where Bill had gripped him. It was probably going to bruise, but Dipper didn't mind. He hadn't even recognized that the blonde was probably hurting him. He didn't feel it at all.

"I'm... going to go take a shower." Dipper said after another moment of silent. "Alright." Bill replied, not reaching back grab his phone, even though the man on the other end was cursing like a sailor. Maybe Dipper made the wrong decision on that one...

All the same however, he maneuvered around Bill and walked back towards the house. The other was left outside, not bothering to answer the call until he was sure that Dipper was behind closed doors.

"I hope this is fucking important..." Bill grumbled as he answered. "Keyhole, you're fired if this isn't important."

* * *

Dipper let the hot water run down his body. All that seawater and sand was finally washing out after God knows how long he had stood there. That stuff really didn't like to part with his very tangled hair. His face heated up. He hoped that he didn't look like shit the entire time he was with Bill. Or smelled bad...

"UGH!" He growled. Why the hell was he so worried about what Bill thought? That whole incident had just been them getting too drunk, right? Past feelings came back because he wasn't there to restrain them. That's exactly why that happened.

But Bill didn't look drunk. He didn't even _act_ drunk. Did he know what he was doing? The way he acted made it seem like it. Not to mention he had even asked Dipper if he'd rather continue than answer the phone. At least he had the common sense to say "no". He didn't even know how he managed it, considering how willing he was just seconds before. Maybe all that tipsiness had worn off, and some level of sobriety returned to him.

He didn't even know anymore. At that point, it just sounded like he was making excuses. He really did want to kiss Bill, and Bill looked damn ready to kiss him back. Dipper didn't know if he could finish what they were about to start though. Much less try and kiss him again. Now that it had almost happened, and he had gotten turned down, he didn't know if he had the nerve to try again. Bill would have to be the one to make a move, because Dipper was scared.

 _Scared_ , huh. It was funny. Every time he had ever liked a person, they never made him feel this way. Maybe it's because Bill actually mattered to Dipper. He was and still is important, and there was no denying it. Probably not as important as family, but in the few short months that Dipper has known him... well, he's up there. It's sort of shocking how easy it was for Bill to become so vital to Dipper's everyday life. Hardly a day had passed where Dipper didn't think about the blonde or talk to him. It was daily, and it wasn't going to be changing any time soon.

_So is this really that bad?_

The question lingered in his mind for a second. Water dripped off his hair and onto the floor, making a small splatter.

_Should he go through with this?_

The worst part was that he didn't know. Was this bad? Should he try again with Bill? Was it even _worth_ it?

Because, think about it. They'd be going on intense journeys into places that hadn't been visited in hundreds of years. There'd be traps and a whole lot of staring death in the face. Not to mention the legal troubles, since most of what they were doing was probably borderline Michael Bay movie crazy. There was probably a whole list of other consequences involved in dating some asshole like Bill, but Dipper didn't want to consider it all. He didn't want to think about it because the truth was; he wanted to be with Bill.

That stupid crush from a month ago was definitely back, whether it was because he was drunk or not. Dipper let out a groan and turned the water off, satisfied with his new revelations and the lack of sand in his hair. He stepped out of the shower and grabbed the clothes he had brought in with him. Dipper realized that he'd probably just have to sleep this off, and hope in the morning he got a brain and forgot this even happened.

After he was dressed, Dipper left the bathroom. He headed back towards his room, checking the hallway for a second before entering. There was no noise coming from Bill's room, so he guessed that the man was still outside talking to whoever had called him. He didn't make any noise of complaint, even though he sort of wished Bill would pay him more mind.

 _Oh jeez_ , Dipper mentally cursed himself. _You reaaally need to head to bed_. Yeah. This'll all pass, and in the morning he'll figure it out. Right now though, he needed sleep. Alcohol was a depressant, and he was tired as hell from the events that had transpired during the day. Dipper shut his door behind him and dropped onto his bed.

Sleep was definitely going to be his remedy.

* * *

"This is a real pain in my ass, Cipher."

Bill scoffed. "You were the one who signed up for it."

"You abducted me."

"You're house was burning down, Keyhole. You're lucky I was there to start the fire, otherwise you'd never have gotten out."

"Yeah- WAIT YOU STARTED THE FIRE?"

"Duh."

"DUDE I HAD A FUCKING CELLAR OF BOOZE IN MY HOUSE."

Heh. "That's probably why it burned so easily."

"Oh my... I'm going to kill you, you know?"

"Good luck." Bill rolled his eyes. "I'll buy you some more when this is all over, alright?"

"Fucking pisspot..." Keyhole grumbled into the phone before letting out a sigh. "Fine. This better be over soon."

The blonde chuckled as he brushed his hand over Dipper's hat. He hadn't returned it since he had taken it. Dipper hadn't even noticed that his signature piece of clothing had been missing. Or maybe he did. He hadn't complained about it though, so Bill figured he hadn't realized it was gone. Bill didn't quite know why he had brought it along on the trip, but the thing comforted him to some degree.

He looked at the door of his bedroom and offered a smile.

"Don't worry. We're almost finished here."

* * *

Morning rolled around, and Dipper was pleased to find that he didn't have a splitting headache. He didn't really know if it was a good or bad thing, considering that it revealed how drunk he was the night before. Was his judgment all that impaired?

_Who knows..._

Speaking of which; the feeling was gone. Dipper let out a breath of relief and sat up in his covers. He stretched out his arms, his newly developed muscles flexing. There were red marks across his skin from where Bill had hit him, and he ached a little bit, but the fatigue would most definitely be overridden by adrenaline depending on what they did today. Hopefully they'd be visiting the ruins. There was no doubt in his mind that Bill would want to find it as soon as possible.

A feeling of nervousness washed over him as he imagined what might be in store. Mermando hadn't even sugar coated it: that place was a death trap. Dipper had only _barely_ avoided traps in other tombs that he had visited before joining Mindscape. Normally, he wouldn't see them altogether. Most of them were deeper in the ruins, guarding the more precious artifacts. He usually never managed to get that far for whatever reason. Obstacles typically, like broken staircases and questionable bridges. Dipper was never one to put his life on the line like that, but his training with Bill had more or less assured him that he had a pretty good chance of surviving it now.

They had done climbs, swam lakes, and even sparred together in preparation for this. Dipper felt confident in his skills now, but he had yet to trigger a trap that would lead to decapitation or incineration. Most traps he landed on would collapse the floor, making it impossible for him to go on.

In any case though, Dipper didn't want it to be... crippling. If Bill got hurt, Dipper didn't want to have to sit there and watch him suffer with thoughts like "I wish it was me instead" or "this is all my fault". Unless it was his fault, of course. Bill had made it very clear at the beginning of training that if one of them was unable to go on, then the other shouldn't stick around. Then at least one of them could get out and finish this godforsaken job.

With that horrible thought in mind, Dipper pulled himself out of bed. He grabbed some random outfit in his bag; something with long sleeves and jeans since they'd be out in the sun. Well, that is if Bill decided they were making their move. Dipper headed out of his room, surprised to find the TV on and Bill sitting in front of it. The blonde had woken up early to make sure that they had everything they needed for today.

Because this was it. He had decided the moment Mermando had told them about the ruins that he wanted to leave. Time was of essence, and they had a clear opportunity to go scour the ocean. The clouds were gone and there was only a mild seabreeze. In his opinion, that was perfect seafaring weather. It'd make getting around incredibly easy, plus the sun would illuminate the water so they could see the reefs.

Thankfully, the waters where they'd be treading was relatively clear. Mermando had given them a map of the round about location of the reef (thankfully the paper was water proof), so Bill knew just about where they'd be heading to. Like the merman had said, the reef wasn't too far away from the Bimini Roads. It was a little further out according to the map, but it wasn't too bad. Dipper and him would probably reach it and find the crevice they were looking for within a couple of hours. And then...

... the real journey would begin.

Dipper walked into the living room and yawned. "'Morning Bill." He greeted, pushing down the anxiety that he felt welling up in his chest. Okay, so maybe the feeling from the night before still _lingered_ , but at least Dipper didn't look as ready to smother Bill as he did previously. "Good morning Pinetree. You going to make breakfast?"

"Sure." The brunette said, reaching up into the cabinet. He had seen it the day before, but he hadn't grabbed it. It was a box of poptarts that had been left behind. It wasn't even one of the good ones, but Dipper really didn't feel like cooking anything for Bill. Plus, he didn't know how stale these were, so it would be more or less payback for all those times Bill failed to feed him anything decent. Dipper went over the couch and dropped one of the wrapped up treats in his lap, a smile on his lips. "Bon appetite." He added.

Bill stared at the silver packaging and slowly began to unwrap it. "And here I thought you'd make me an actual breakfast."

"The gesture needs to be mutual, Bill."

"I make you adequate breakfast." Bill scoffed, popping open the package. His nose scrunched up in slight distaste as he cracked off an end. It was incredibly hard, and the filling to the pastry had a similar texture. "Bill," Dipper went back into the kitchen and heated up a pan. "I have passed out seven-"

"Six."

"- six times, because you have failed to make me an 'adequate' breakfast."

"Ah," Bill took a small nibble at the disgustingly stale poptart. It tasted... like nothing. "At least it's edible though." He grumbled, getting up off the couch. Bill traveled over to the trashcan and dumped his "breakfast" into it before grabbing the carton of eggs that was on the counter. Dipper had already pulled it out of the cooler to make his own breakfast.

He huffed and murmured something inaudible. Bill didn't bother asking what he had said as he went up behind him. He had two eggs in his hands, and before Dipper could react he had cracked them over the pan. They fell onto the metal without a single piece of shell.

The first thing the brunette realized was that Bill had cracked both of those eggs with a _single hand_. Dipper was about to speak up about it, but Bill interrupted. "I like my eggs well done; don't burn them. Add two pinches of salt and three shakes of pepper for seasoning." He instructed, earning a small noise from Dipper.

Bill was acting like... he actually knew how to...

_... cook?_

This might seem a little overdramatic, but Dipper had been _waiting_ all of these three months for a decent meal from Bill Cipher. He didn't even _ask_ for Bill to make him breakfast. The man just _offers_ to, and then he feeds Dipper some shitty meal. He doesn't mean to sound selfish or bratty in any way, but the fact that Dipper's lack of good nutrition had lead him to several blackouts and horrible headaches...

 _No, just... calm down_. Dipper took in a deep breath and let out a huge sigh. "Bill, if you could fucking cook this whole time, then why do you make me suffer like this?"

"Because," Bill smirked and spun Dipper around so he was facing him. It was then that Dipper realized how close Bill was before, and his face heated up. Another wave of anxiety washed over him as he sucked in a breath. The blonde allowed Dipper to lean onto him, taking into account that there was an open flame and hot pan just a foot away. "It's so damn fun to get under your skin." Bill finished, leaning in close to Dipper. He could practically feel his breath on his lips.

Was this it? Were they finally going to kiss? Ugh. He wasn't even drunk and he was _still_ considering this. What happened to common sense and logic? Apparently he had gone out the door, because Dipper just... wanted to lean in and...

Dipper turned his head away. "Yeah whatever..." He grumbled.

_GOOD JOB_

He wanted to mentally applaud himself for the excellent show of willpower, but Dipper couldn't find the happiness in what he'd just done. Bill momentarily looked taken aback by the statement, but all the same backed off. "Yeesh, kid. Well, I'm going to go check with the boat company and see if they aren't screwing around anymore." Dipper raised his brow at the statement. "So we're going today?" He asked.

Bill nodded, offering a small smile. "Yeah. We're going to go find the Fountain of Youth."


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally they get to the ruins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So you'll probably hate me for this, but I was originally going to add this chapter onto the end of Chapter Ten, but I didn't because I was already late last week and this would've made the last chapter about 10000+ words. I'm halfway sure that many people on pretty much every fanfic platform does not appreciate extraordinarily large chapters like I do-- so I didn't do it. IN ADDITION, I will also tell you guys that I think I have two more chapters to go before the Bimini Arc is over! Thank you so much for sticking with me through this-- I have no idea how many chapters are ahead of us, but I think I'm doing pretty good right now! 
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> ALSO, sorry for dragging out this arc ;w; it would probably be done in 3 chapters, but I'm shortening up the chapters some ;w; please stay 
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> THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING AND KUDOING. IT LEGIT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME AND THE SUPPORT IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE-- SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, I PLAN TO STICK AROUND FOR THIS STORY FOR A LONG TIME-- or however long it takes, lol XDD

"Ey Bill!"

"What?"

"Why didn't Mermando just give us a kiss and a ride to get here?"

"Too dangerous! None of the guards would have accepted, and if they did, they'd be dead! So would Mermando! Now go and stand in the front! I think we're near the reef!"

Their shouting died down as they neared their destination.

They had finally left after a good breakfast and after securing their boat. It wasn't a huge vessel, but it was a diving boat. Bill had rented them out some suits for it, and they had a couple of tanks of oxygen. Although, Dipper doubted they'd need most of it. Mermando had mentioned that this place had air, which is why many mer-people were unable to explore it. Only the very few "walkers" were able to; and as Bill had explained to them on the ride down, only mer-people royalty were walkers. So basically only Mermando and his family could venture there.

It raised the question though: why didn't the royal family go partake in the spoils of the Fountain of Youth? Bill had answered that with a chuckle. "Remember how I told you that some mer-people were weak? Walkers are probably the weakest of mer-people. It's just in their build, even though they can walk on land for brief periods of time."

The answer seemed pretty legitimate, so Dipper settled for it. Regardless, the two humans were about to enter it, so Dipper wasn't really concerned with the lack of water. In fact, he'd gladly breath air rather than lug around a heavy cylinder full of it.

Dipper moved towards the front of the ship, noticing the water was a bit darker here. He couldn't tell if it was because they were above a reef or not, but he trusted that Bill knew where they were. He had the map, after all.

The boat came to a stop after a minute more of driving through the waves. Dipper heard Bill cut the engine, and soon after the "captain" of the ship (he insisted on being called that) emerged. "Alright!" The blonde put his hands on his hips. "That should do it! Should be right under us, if the map is right."

"Sweet. So, now what?" Dipper didn't really know what to do. Not because he didn't know the plan, but because he had never gone scuba diving before. He didn't have a license for it or anything. In fact, that was just one of the (many) things that made this illegal. Bill had actually paid the guy who rented them the suits to keep his mouth shut and let it slide. It was pretty shady, but there wasn't much room for Dipper to complain. It was either they do this or actually take the courses required for this sort of venture. "Well," Bill headed towards one of the storage bins built into the ship. There were a ton of them scattered around. One of them contained Dipper's journal, and he made sure to keep it locked up and in a plastic bag. Too many things could go wrong, ya' know?

The blonde opened up the bin and pulled out two suits. He tossed one of them towards Dipper, and the man realized that they were the wetsuits that Bill had rented. He brushed his finger over the smooth fabric, not even realizing that Bill had thrown a pair of board shorts at him until they knocked him right in the face. Dipper stumbled back and pulled the shorts off his nose. Bill looked at him with a completely unapologetic smirk, "Your fault. Anyways, go ahead and get changed inside the cabin. Try not to knock anything over."

"No promises," Dipper rolled his eyes and went into the cabin with his new outfit. He was glad that Bill had the decency enough to keep them from getting into their underpants in the same room, although Dipper was very sure that'd he'd still retreat into the cabin to get dressed anyways.

He stood by the door, knowing that there was a massive window in front so that the driver could see out into the vast waters ahead. Dipper undressed until he reached his boxers. He decided that it was probably best if he took them off, seeing how they rather baggy. He pulled on the board shorts that Bill had given him and slipped into the wetsuit.

The fabric was actually really soft and didn't scratch his skin. He always imagined that these things would be pretty uncomfortable, especially if you got sand in them. But no, this one was very gentle. It made him regret not ever buying full body underwear. Wetsuits were pretty much that, right?

Regardless, Dipper zipped up the back of his suit (with some level of skill), and pushed open the door. When he walked out, he found Bill standing in the middle of the ship with the upper half of his wetsuit around his waist. He was just about to pull it up. Dipper took that brief moment to admire the multiple tattoos that were on his back. There was the trademark triangle in the center of all the other marks, and then various code symbols surrounding it. Dipper had taken the time to memorize all of Mindscape's codes, but he didn't recognize any of these symbols.

The moment passed however, and Dipper was left staring into the black fabric of Bill's wetsuit. Or, well, his face. Bill turned just after he zipped up his zipper and chuckled at Dipper. "Wow, I can't believe that actually fit you. Your size is tiny."

"Shut up Bill."

"In any case," Bill continued. He gestured towards the same storage bin that he had retrieved the suits from. "Go ahead and grab one of the utility belts. It should have a flashlight and a knife on it." Dipper nodded and went towards the bin. Sure enough, there were two utility belts, practically identical. There were only two things on them. A flashlight and a knife. "Bill? Are you sure that's all we'll need?"

"Pretty sure."

"What about medical supplies?"

"Nope."

"But-"

"Pinetree," Bill went over a put a hand onto Dipper's shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, but if something happens to one of us, then we leave the other person behind? Got it?"

Oh. Oh wow. Dipper turned his head to look at Bill. The blonde looked dead serious. Was this... really going to come to that? If one of them got injured, the other was just supposed to go? Were these the rules that Ford and Bill had lived by when they traveled together?

All the same, Dipper nodded solemnly. "Yeah... Yeah okay." He took in a deep breath and let it out. This was a lot to take in, but he couldn't panic now. They had a lot to do and they hadn't even found the ruins yet. Now was not the time. He could let out all of his built up worry after. "Alright," Dipper strapped one of the belts to his waist. Bill took the other one and did the same. "So what next?"

"Well, we need air tanks. Go ahead and grab the two in the cabin, I'll set up the goggles so we can communicate." Bill instructed before turning back towards the container. Dipper made a move towards the cabin door, but took a quick glance back at Bill. He looked so calm about all of this, even though he just heavily implied that he'd leave Dipper down there even if he didn't have a fatal injury.

The panic that he had just pushed down began to rise again. He suppressed it once more, but Dipper had a feeling that he'd be revisiting that emotion soon enough. He went into the cabin and retrieved the two relatively small things of air. Bill must've believed that they wouldn't be down there looking for the entrance for very long, because these didn't look like they held a ton of air. Regardless, he snatched them up and returned to Bill. He was fixing something onto the goggles that Dipper figured they'd be wearing. There was a snapping noise, and Bill huffed, evidently satisfied that whatever he had modified the goggles with was sticking.

"Alright, here you go kid." Bill tossed him one of the goggles, which he only barely managed to catch with the two air tanks in his arms. He passed off one of the tanks to Bill, not daring to even toss it. In all honesty, he didn't know if these things were explosive or if they were the only one's that they had. Probably not, but you could never tell with Bill. Dipper pulled the goggles onto his head, taking a moment to place the tank down onto the ground so that he could use both hands to fasten the straps.

The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't suck anything in through his nose. He should've noticed it when he looked at the design, but clearly he didn't recognize the transparent nose piece that stuck out of the goggles. Dipper made a small choking noise before he finally sucked in a breath through his mouth. Bill chuckled at the display, "Don't die just yet Pinetree. We haven't even gotten in the water yet." He teased, going behind Dipper. He picked up the tank off the floor and did something that strapped it to Dipper's back. The brunette didn't really get to see the process because it was behind him, but he trusted that Bill would plug everything in correctly so that he wouldn't get a good serving of saltwater while swimming. "All done." Bill announced. The blonde came out from behind Dipper and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He already had his tank strapped onto his back.

Were they ready now? "Is that it?" Dipper asked. He was still mildly surprised that this was all they were taking. "Yep." Bill nodded. "You ready?"

"I'm tempted to say no."

Bill went to the side of the boat and sat down. Dipper sat down onto the spot next to him. "Actually-"

"Too late!"

The blonde cut Dipper's sentence off as he brought out an arm. He used it to push Dipper back into the water.

_The adventure begins_

* * *

"You suck _so_ fucking bad."

"You're still complaining about that?"

"Yes Bill, I _am_ still complaining about you pushing me out of the boat and onto a school of fish."

"Are you mad about me pushing you or are you mad that you scared some guppies?"

"... both."

"Alright," Bill swam up in front of Dipper. You could see that he was rolling his eyes past his goggles . "I'm not sorry."

"Of course you aren't..." The other man grumbled, his voice wracked with static because of the poor connection.

Apparently whatever Bill equipped these goggles with was allowing them to talk to each other. It had a microphone and a set of speakers built into it; and just from the uncomfortable bump pressed to the side of Dipper's face, he could tell where the damn thing was located. All the same, he was glad that Bill had put them onto the goggles.

As embarrassing as it was to admit it, Dipper was terrified of the ocean. It was the typical fear of sharks and all that, but now he had the additional fear of magical creatures that could and would probably be some freakishly terrifying size. Dipper doubted that a creature like that dwelled in a reef like this, but there was still that underlying worry.

Having Bill (even though it was just that moron) right there talking to him, made him feel a hundred times more safe. Would Bill be able to save him if a giant squid just snatched him right up? Nope. Would Bill run if that happened to him? Well he'd swim as far away as possible, but yeah pretty much. If something like that happened, was he safe in any way, shape or form? Oh definitely not. It was a stupid and fake feeling of security that he had, but it was worth something. It was somehow keeping him calm, so Dipper embraced the feeling with open arms.

Dipper looked around at the reef, wary of his surroundings but also quite aware of what they were looking for. This particular reef was filled with life, _strange_ life to be exact. There were fish (naturally), but they glowed with an unnatural aura. "Hey Bill? Why are all of these fish... glowy?" He finally asked, swimming past another one of the neon fish. Bill looked back towards Dipper just as he cut a corner around one of the rough reef structures. "They are anomalies. This place has a strong supernatural pull, as you can imagine." Dipper followed after Bill as he listened to his explanation. "Some of the fish were born that way, and other's were altered by the supernatural forces here. It's a good sign that we're in the right place."

The whole thing sounded a bit ridiculous, but after everything that Dipper had seen, it was a perfectly legit reason for this phenomenon to occur. "I can't believe other researchers haven't found this yet." Dipper murmured, running his hand along the reef wall. They were under a crusty arc that was relatively large. Bill was on the opposite end, looking for clues. "They've probably run across it, but from what Mermando told us, I'd bet money that the mer-people shift the currents or do something to direct human's away." Bill guessed. Ah. That made sense, seeing how this was a sacred place to the mer-people. But-

"Wait, so then how come we're able to come close to it?" Dipper inquired. He heard a thunking noise behind him and found Bill scratching at the reef with his knife, cursing when he found nothing. "Mermando told me he'd keep the guards from coming here as long as he could, but we're dead if they find us. So quit getting distracted." Bill said, his voice sounding strained. Maybe he wasn't as calm as he put off. Dipper blushed and looked down. He guessed he was asking a lot of redundant questions...

Okay! No more playing around then! Dipper focused his attention back to the task at hand, now determined to find the entrance before Bill. He swam back towards the entrance of the arc and was quickly greeted by a grizzly face and a large amount of razor sharp teeth. Dipper let out a shriek as he scrambled away from the shark. It wasn't a huge thing, probably about three to four feet long, but that was enough to scare the living shit out of the brunette.

The shark followed him, so Dipper kept backing up. Suddenly, his back touched a soft and buoyant object. A hand came out from behind him and pushed the sharks nose away from Dipper. The creature spun around at the touch and swam out of the cave. Dipper heard a chuckle from behind him. "Alright kid. The big bad reef shark is gone." Bill told him teasingly, earning a grunt from Dipper. He pushed himself off of the blonde, "Shut up Bill. That thing could've bit me."

"Oh yeah, it sure could've."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"You scream like a girl."

"... fuck off Bill." Dipper grumbled, his face bright red from embarrassment. Of course. _These_ comments. Comments that had riddled him with shame throughout his entire life. If Bill caught on with that train of assholes... then this was going to be one hell of a long trip.

He looked down to avoid Bill's prying gaze and found something incredible. It was a ring. Just like the one that they had left the _novo piscium_ in when they summoned a mer-person. Except this one was even more crusty and disgusting, and it had the shape of an arrow right in the center of it. Or at least, that could be the shape of it. Dipper wondered if it was just how the stuff growing on it had formed, but it had a certain unnatural air about it that made him think otherwise.

It was pointing somewhere. "Bill, look." Dipper pointed down at the ring. Bill tore his eyes away from Dipper and looked down at the new discovery. He "hmphed" and grinned up at Dipper. "Nice work Pinetree. You see where it's pointing?" Bill asked, gesturing towards the wall behind him. Dipper looked past the blonde and back down at the arrow. There didn't seem to be any obvious opening in the wall, but now that Dipper stared more at that section, he noticed how sparsely covered it was. "Right there!" Dipper announced, swimming towards the wall. He brought out his knife and began to smash away the coral that was covering what might just be the opening. Bill joined him, pulling away all the loose crusting until they reached a smooth part in the wall.

The material of this new layer was... muddy. It wasn't as dense as clay, but it had some level of thickness. Almost like pudding. The coloration resembled clay however. Dipper placed his hand onto the gooey surface and found that his fingertips sunk in easily. As soon as he pulled back, the material reshaped itself so that it was just like how Dipper had found it. Bill's grin widened, "Well done! Now we just gotta see what's inside."

Dipper sucked in a breath. "Are you sure this is safe?" He tested, pretty sure that Bill would only offer him some crap form of reassurance. "No, I'm not." Bill admitted, not sounding worried in the least. "But I'll go in first, so feel free to bail if you lose your nerve."

Oh. Oh _hell_ no. Bill must've done that on purpose, because that comment alone was enough to tick Dipper off. Lose his nerve? Uh. No way buddy. _You've called my voice girly, you've called me adorable... but I will_ not _allow you to call me scared of some stupid ruins_. "I'll be right behind you." Dipper said sternly. Bill offered a chuckle before saluting his partner. "Well, smell ya' later then Pinetree!"

With that, Bill pushed himself through the gooey layer of sandy brown and was gone with a pop. The goo remolded itself, ready for another entry. Dipper looked at the mass for a moment more.

_Just live a little Dipper, you'll be fine_

Oh. Oh please be right about that.

Dipper took in a deep breath from his tank and reached into the goo. He found the edge of the wall on both sides of the goo and used that as leverage to pull him through. With a little bit of added force, he found himself falling head first towards a large pool under him.

* * *

His vision went black as he was surrounded by murky and dark water.

Well, at least he hadn't smashed his head in with the fall. Dipper rose out of the water, only to be greeted by even more darkness. They must be inside the cave. The darkness didn't last forever though, because Bill flicked on his flashlight. Apparently the blonde had come out of the water and was looking around for his partner. He was standing on the edge of the pool as he shined down the light onto Dipper's face.

"Oh good. I thought you'd actually leave me here." Bill cracked a smirk and pulled off his gear. He sucked in a deep breath, thankful that this was actually breathable air. It would suck if they'd actually have to get through this place with such a tiny amount of oxygen. In fact, they'd be dead if they had to do that. Dipper followed in suit and swam towards the edge of the water. As he moved, Bill kept the light on him. It was appreciated since Dipper would be in absolute darkness otherwise. "Thanks," he muttered, pulling himself out of the water. Dipper stood up straight and removed his own goggles and breathing tube.

There was something about breathing regular air that felt ten times better than breathing air out of a tank. That's why Dipper let out a sigh of relief when he finally filled his lungs without the fear of running out of classic O2. "Alright," Bill clicked his tongue. He flicked his flashlight towards the darkness ahead of him. "Let's see what we've got here."

In front of them was a large gaping tunnel. The light didn't shine all the way down, but the ominous passage alone was enough to scare Dipper. He flipped out his own flashlight and pointed it around. Too much light couldn't hurt, right?

The cave around them was pretty bare. It was rocky and filled with limestone- just an average grotto of sorts. The pool that they had come out from was actually pretty small, almost resembling a pond. Above the pool was the hole that they had arrived through. There was still that pudding-like mess up there, and Dipper realized that it was probably keeping all of the water out. He wondered if there were more holes like that in the ruins, or if that was their only exit.

"Oh," Bill murmured. "Oh my." Dipper turned back around to acknowledge his boss. "What is it?" He asked, moving up beside Bill. The blonde had his flashlight pointed towards the top of the tunnel. There was _something_ written above the entrance to the tunnel in _gold_. Dipper couldn't recognize the marks, and to him they looked like chicken scratch. Fancy chicken scratch. "Can you read it?" Dipper looked back at him. Bill squinted his eyes and shook his head slowly. "No... I've never seen that language before in my life. It's definitely not a European language... I wonder if it's native..."

Dipper hummed in agreement. "It doesn't look like anything in the journal, so I don't think Ford figured it out either." He offered, even though it wasn't much. Bill nodded, "Yeah. Let's keep going, we may find something on the way that'll help us out." Ah, alright. Dipper shined his light around for one last time. It didn't look like this place had much else to offer. _Guess all the fun stuff is in the ruins, right?_

Oh no. Now he's starting to sound like Bill.

"You coming?" Bill looked back at Dipper, who was mentally cringing at the image of himself frolicking past traps with Bill. At the sound of his voice, Dipper turned his attention back to Bill.

"Yeah, right behind you."

* * *

"Jesus Christ!"

"Bill duck!"

"Yeah- WOAH!"

"Heh, almost got you there."

"Isn't that my line, Pinetree?"

"I don't remember you taking ownership of it."

"Hmph," Bill huffed as they passed _another_ set of arrow traps. This had to have been the sixth one in the last hour. "So when staring danger right in the face, Pinetree Pines turns into a cocky asshole?"

Dipper rolled his eyes at the remark. "My name is Dipper, Bill." He reminded the blonde. "And no, I'm just enjoying watching you almost get nailed with some arrows." The comment brought out a smirk from Bill. He went forward and pushed up some collapsed wood for Dipper. "Oh really? I completely forgot." Bill teased. "And you've got quite a few scratches yourself Pinetree."

It was true. Both of them looked pretty roughed up, but Dipper even more so than Bill despite his remarks. He wasn't used to this many traps. He usually only encountered one or two before he was scared off from whatever ruins he was exploring. "Yeah well, I'm not as used to them as you are." He admitted to his partner as he ducked under the beam. "I figured," Bill followed after him. "You seem like the sort of person who tries their best not to be around them."

"I think that's the sort of person _everyone else_ is." Dipper joked, knowing that Bill was probably one of the very few men in this world who actively searched out danger such as this. Well, Dipper was as well, but he usually didn't go to this sort of extreme. Hell, every step they took was leading them into a trap.

It's not like they were trying to run into every single one here, but it was damn hard to see. Even with two flashlights flicking all over the place, it was nearly impossible to see through all the haze surrounding this place. Not to mention it was dusty as hell around here, so even if you shined the light onto something, there was still the chance you wouldn't be able to see past the cloud of dust in front of it.

And the dust was sadly covering most of the floor, so you can imagine how well avoiding traps was going for them. Most of them were pressure activated, but Dipper had tripped over a few wires today. Bill was proud to say that he had only triggered one trap, and that was because they had to go through a puzzle door. It was fairly simple, but Bill had to guess on most of it.

All of the puzzles that they had to solve so far (which was only the one) all involved that same strange writing. Bill had concluded that it was just the native language. At least, a native language that had never been documented before. It had frustrated Bill to no end, because he was expecting Spanish or at least Latin. "I can't believe we haven't found any evidence of _conquistadors_ ," he had murmured at some point.

Dipper supposed he was looking for some evidence of Juan Ponce de León, who was the main explorer who went to Bimini "in search of the Fountain of Youth". He recalled that Bill had largely believed it was a hoax, and that the Spanish explorer had never really tried to come to the Caribbean in search of it. Evidently he hoped to find a grain of truth in the story with the way he was acting.

Either that or he was just pissed that he couldn't read this writing. "Wow Pinetree, where's all that adventure I thought you had in you?" Bill asked, moving up ahead of Dipper. He shined his flashlight around, noticing that the walls were beginning to look smoother and more articulate. Before they just looked like cave walls. They must be heading the right way. "Bill, I don't think anyone likes to get shot with arrows."

"I do."

"Sure you do," Dipper rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time today. "I just never get this deep into ruins like this. If I see a trap, I backtrack. It's _safe_ , Bill. I pray to whatever God is up there that you know that word, because we're dead if you don't."

Bill scoffed, " _Safe_ _ty_ is an illusion, kid. Do you think standing still is safe?"

"Depends on where you're standing."

"No, it doesn't." The blonde stopped in front of a dead end. He ran his hand over the wall in front of him, looking for something that would signal which way to go. Was this their first dead end? "You could be standing in a plush room without any form of danger around you, and you could still get hurt. There's no 'safe', that's why everyone moves."

_He's got a point_

Still, there was _safer_. There were plenty of things that were safer than what they were doing right now, right? Dipper shined the light onto what Bill was doing. His tan and tattooed hand ran over the smooth wall, as if he was looking for a secret passageway. "You know Bill, there isn't always a secret doorway." Dipper chuckled, earning a grunt from Bill. "I'm looking for clues, kid." His hand brushed over a bump in the wall, revealing two very familiar shapes.

The cranes.

The same ones from the journal and the tapestry. "Bill..." Dipper squatted down next to him. Bill broke out into an even wider grin and flicked his finger across the shining shapes. They weren't dark like the ones they'd seen before. No, these were _golden_. "Alright," Bill used his other hand to push Dipper back. The brunette stumbled back to his feet. "These can be removed from the wall, and I have no idea what's going to happen if I take them out. So get ready to get the hell out of here, got it?" Bill instructed his partner, not looking back at him.

Dipper tightened his grip on his flashlight and nodded curtly. He remembered everything that Bill had told him back on the boat. If Bill get's hurt, then he shouldn't feel any remorse for leaving him in this place. The same stood for Bill.

Slowly, Bill wrapped his fingers around the figurines. They jutted out of the wall slightly, so it was possible to grab them. As soon as he had a good hold on them, he used both hands to swipe them out. Once they had been fully removed, Bill stood. He shoved the figurines into the small pockets of his suit. The gold pieces weren't extraordinarily large, but they still looked heavy. "Nothing is happening," Dipper murmured.

Bill nodded, but never lowered his light. "This is weird. Why would they just put that there...?"

_Maybe it was a dud?_

Dipper honestly didn't know, but he allowed his shoulders to relax. Guess it was just _there_. It was unlikely, but apparently it was the case here. He let out a breath of relief. "Well, I guess we should keep moving." He chuckled. Dipper spun on his heel and took a step forward, ready to take another path in order to keep going.

What a terrible idea.

As soon as he took that one step forward, the square tile that his foot had landing on sunk down. Almost instantaneously, a relatively thick part of the wall flew into the path between him and Bill, sealing Dipper off from the other. The brunette immediately flung himself back around and placed his hands onto the wall. "BILL!" He screamed, earning a muffled response. Dipper couldn't even tell what Bill had said, but it probably fell along the lines of _run_.

Dipper swallowed his panic and allowed the adrenaline to kick in. He kicked off on his feet and headed back towards the way they had come. Just as he had reached a good few meters away from the newly appeared wall, another one slammed out in front of him.

_Trapped_

Oooooh no. NonononononoNO!

"Shit!" He cursed, looking around in both directions. There was no way out. No way up, no way down, no way out of here _at all_. Suddenly he felt very cramped and contained.

_Alone_

The room began to tremble. The ceiling started to collapse, as well as the floor. Dipper jumped around, hoping to avoid falling through the new holes. It was impossible though. The entire floor was almost gone, and before he knew it, his foot had slipped on one of the broken stone tiles and he fell into the darkness below him.

_He was going to die_

His back collided with a rocky slope, earning a yelp of pain from Dipper Pines.

_He was going to die_

Dipper couldn't stop his descent. Whatever he was sliding down was slick with sea water, and there were rocks all around him. He pointed his flashlight in every direction in hopes of finding an escape, but he couldn't keep up with everything. He was going too fast.

_I'm dead_

His vision began to blur. Dipper didn't know if it was the panic, the speed, or the stinging pain running through his body.

_I'm so fucking dead_

A rock knocked his foot, and Dipper spun around so he was facing head first down the slope. The flashlight fell out of his hand and skidded off into the abyss.

_This is it_

Dipper's head crashed against a hard object in the darkness, and he finally blacked out.

_Bye._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:
> 
> Dear Incredibill,   
>  Thank you for reviewing yet again ;w; AND I'M SO VERY SORRY I FEEL LIKE I'M DRAGGING THIS RELATIONSHIP ON SOOOO MUCH. I'm just really worried if I just force heads together that the romance will seem super forced and unreal. Bill is a pretty annoying guy, but he's charming. Dipper had a crush on him but he realized there's a lot of consequences that come with that. There has to be a pretty intense moment for him to give himself up like that, but don't worry XD it's coming  
>  I wrote your username on my knee,  
>  Hashbrown
> 
> Dear MortemMessor,  
>  AH, well, the conflict continues XDDD and idk why you'd use a term like beautiful to describe a triangle dating a little boy-- JK I COMPLETELY GET YOU BOIIIIIIIII XDD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING ME-- KISSES WILL COME MOMENTARILY  
>  Your profile pic looks lit af,   
> Hashbrown


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to a new enemy... heh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY HELLO AGAIN. Sorry that I uploaded this on Sunday ;w; This weekend has been pretty emotional for me since my big bro is leaving for 3 weeks ;w; anyways it's done AND YES THE PLOT THICKENS. I was pretty sure that this chapter was going to be longer, but clearly it wasn't that long XD *just when you think you're going to pass the 8000 milestone* IN ANY CASE
> 
> I hope you're ready for fluff -w-
> 
> THANK YOU ALL FOR KUDOING AND REVIEWING ;w; so much support it kills XD

_Pain_

"Ngh..."

_Everything... hurts..._

The fire flickered dimly in front of the brunette. He sat a mere few feet away, and the heat thankfully radiated onto him. His body was shivering from the cold dampness of the room.

_Where..._

Dipper's eyes darted open and scanned the cave he now sat in. This wasn't where he had crash landed, was it? No, it couldn't be. Wait... was all that a dream?

Then why was he hurting so bad...

_Am I dead...?_

Surely not, because he felt very much alive. Although he wasn't quite sure if that was how he should be. He should've died down in that void of a hole. He hit something... he should be knocked out and bleeding to death...

_Then why are you alive?_

That was the question. Dipper's vision was blurry, and the more he tried to focus on the things around him, the more his head hurt. He pushed past the pain however. He needed to know what was going on and why he was here. _Where_ he was.

And he saw him.

Blonde hair, dripping with water... Tan skin that was covered in scratches and bruises, and a black wetsuit that was equally as battered and abused.

_Bill?_

"... Bill?" Dipper managed to croak out. His voice felt thick and heavy in his throat. How long was he out? Surely if Bill had come and gotten him, then it couldn't have been _that_ long. Or could it?

Wait.

_Bill had rescued him? Wasn't he supposed to leave him-_

Bill's head shot up from it's resting position. He had been staring at the floor, close to sleep, but still awake. He was hoping that Dipper would wake up soon enough for them to continue on, before the _problem_ stole their treasure.

As soon as he saw that Dipper was awake and _breathing_ , Bill let out a massive breath of relief. His head fell back against the jagged wall he was leaning up against. "God... I thought you were going to _die_..." He breathed out.

Silence fell in between them, because both of them knew that Dipper _should've_ died. Bill went back on his word and saved him anyways. The real question was: why? Why had he put the burden of keeping Dipper alive onto his shoulders? It could've been easier for Bill to just bail and come back with someone more suited for this sort of venture. Maybe Keyhole or Pyronica.

"Why?" Dipper finally asked. He had to know. Why. Why? Why wasn't he down in some ditch slowly freezing and starving to death. "Why didn't you just let me go?" The question weighed heavily on Bill, and he wasn't so sure if he should respond. There were a lot of emotions that were laced into his decision to go back and find Dipper, and they had kept him going even after he fell off of steep ledges, or even after he got hit with traps.

He had gone through the entire temple looking for Dipper, finding places that had not been explored by him or his partner. Bill didn't even bother looking for the fountain through those newly discovered passages. No. That wasn't his goal anymore. He _needed_ to find Dipper. It.. "Hmph," Bill huffed. "You're acting like I didn't consider it."

_He didn't_

"You came and found me anyways." Dipper muttered back.

"That I did." He didn't even come up with an excuse for his actions. There wasn't one that could be made that wouldn't leave Bill feeling like he was once again thrown into the tunnels of denial. That was a path that formed a horrible circle. It was an endless and painful cycle that he'd been in for most of the time he spent with Dipper. This trip was making it much, much worse. He didn't want to go back to it, so Bill just silently accepted his undeniable emotions for his Pinetree.

Dipper noticed that Bill had quieted after those three words, and decided that he better change the subject. "What happened after we got separated?" He tested. If Dipper wasn't going to get an answer from Bill, then he better figure out why his boss was covered in so many scratches. Not all of those tears in his suit looked like they were from falling or getting cut with sharp rocks. Some of them were deep enough to suggest otherwise. "I came after you," Bill admitted. "After I pulled out those figurines, the wall they were stored in collapsed. I went through it and just... ran. The floor had collapsed partially on my half, so I could only assume the same had happened to you."

"So you went down?"

"I found some stairs." Bill nodded. "They were broken for the most part, but I climbed down using the cave walls that they were carved out of. Then I slipped and landed next to your flashlight. You weren't far away from that. I carried you to an opening in the walls, started a fire, and here we sit."

The story didn't quite sit with Dipper. Falling didn't tear you up that bad, unless you fell into some sort of shredder. "Bill." Dipper gave his partner a serious look. "What else happened?" Right as he asked the question, there was a large tremor throughout the cave. The sound of an explosion came right with it. Dipper backed up onto the wall as far as he could with his hands. Bill just sat still, as if he knew exactly what was going on. The tremors ended and Dipper loosened his shoulders once more. Nothing had fallen on them accept a few droplets of water. "Bill." He repeated again, his voice shaking slightly. What the hell was going on?

Bill let out a sigh and he bit his lip, a tell-tale sign that whatever news he was about to deliver wasn't anything good. "We were followed, kid." He admitted after a short stretch of nothing. "Someone else is here."

"Is... is that bad news?"

"Considering that the mercenary I saw shot at me multiple times," Bill flicked a pebble away from him and into the fire. "Yeah. It's bad news."

They shot at Bill? Dipper swallowed his panic. If these people would blindly shoot at Bill, or just at any person, then who were they? What would they do? Were they after the fountain as well? Why were they so eager to kill him and Bill?

Questions flooded his brain, and Dipper didn't have an answer for any of them. "Do you know who they are?" He asked, earning a somber nod from Bill. " _Speculum Oculos_. We usually just call them S.O.. It's a secret society that's rivaled Mindscape for a while now," Bill explained. "I had a hunch that they had been following our progress, but so far this is the first we've seen of them."

How could they have followed them? Bill and Dipper never left any evidence anywhere besides Dipper's house or...

The boat.

"Do you think they raided the boat?" Dipper ventured. That was not good news. He had his journal in there, and he prayed to God that the bin it was stored in was still locked. Bill offered him a small "yeah" in response. His voice sounded so quiet and tired. This had definitely not gone as planned, and they'd have to suffer through it for however long it took. "We have to leave soon then," Dipper told him. "I think we still know more than them, and that should be enough to get us to the fountain first, right?"

With that note, he attempted to move up into a standing position. Almost instantly he recognized his mistake. Searing pain shot up his leg and into his torso, making Dipper yelp in surprise. He collapsed back onto the floor, breathing heavily. " _Fuck_..." Dipper breathed. He pulled up the fabric covering his ankle, only to find the skin there absolutely purple and bruised.

Oh. Oh no. His ankle or _something_ was completely and utterly broken. "Yeah. And that's why we're here." Bill murmured sadly, allowing his gaze to shift down to the floor in between his knees. He had pulled his legs all the way up to his chest. His head rested on his crossed arms, that were currently settled on top of his knees.

This is the first time Dipper had seen him _this_ out of it _._

_Do something, Pines_

Ignoring the complaints from his legs, the brunette used his hands to slide himself towards Bill. It took a bit of effort, but he finally managed to reach the spot right beside him. They said nothing to each other for a while, until Dipper nudged Bill with his shoulder. It was his way of telling him that Dipper was right there.

The gesture was something his sister had come up with during middle school, when Dipper used to get bullied. Mabel would leave her friends and just come over to comfort him. They usually never said anything to each other during those times, but Mabel would always give him a few good nudges to tell him she was there, and that she wasn't leaving until Dipper was strong enough to be by himself.

_I'm not leaving until you're okay to be alone_

"You know," Bill didn't lift his head out of his arms. "This is the second time I've almost lost you." His voice was quiet and filled with sincerity, rather than his normal abrasiveness. Dipper gave him a small chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah. I'm alright though, so don't worry about me-"

"That's not something you can just tell me to stop doing, Pinetree."

Dipper blinked, letting out a small noise of surprise at the remark. His face looked totally confused by the statement. He didn't realize Bill actually... cared. Like that at least. Maybe he meant something else by that, Dipper reassured himself. "What do you mean?" He finally managed to ask, glad that his voice didn't shake.

In response, Bill lifted his head out of his arms and just stared at Dipper, as if trying to decide what he'd say next. "I mean," the blonde shifted closer, till he was practically leaning on Dipper. There was a moment of silence. Bill didn't finish his sentence. How could he? He had nothing else to say.

And then he said it.

"It's disgusting how much you mean to me."

Bill closed the distance between their lips and kissed Dipper.

_Soft_

Dipper had no idea how to react at first. All he knew was that the most appealing set of lips on this planet were smashed against his in the best side kiss he'd ever had. No. It was the _best_ kiss he had ever had. Ha. Who knew that he'd fall this hard for some guy. For Bill.

_Sweet_

Hmph. He knew _exactly_ how to react. Dipper allowed all those emotions from the previous month to flood right over him. His lips moved against Bill's with a novice amount of skill, but he didn't care how bad he kissed. Neither did Bill. All they cared about was that this was finally happening. Their kiss showed all their longing for this moment, and that was enough to satisfy them both.

_Short_

Bill was the first to pull back, leaning away from Dipper just so that he could look at his flushed face. The lighting was dim, but it was undeniable that his Pinetree look extraordinary in the firelight. His brown curls were messed up and he had cuts covering his face and body, but to Bill he looked _perfect_. He leaned back in for another kiss, his body already cold from the lack of stimulation, but-

Another tremor ripped through the caves. This one wasn't nearly as intense as the last, but it was enough to startle Dipper and to make Bill much more aware to the fact that now was probably not the time to be making out with his partner. Just as the shaking settled down, they began to hear voices. _Multiple_ voices. Voices that were coming right at them.

In a flash, Bill had bolted up. He quickly stamped out the fire, ignoring the heat on his feet. The blonde turned towards Dipper, who was looking around rapidly in hopes of finding where the voices were coming from. All his hopes were squashed when Bill stomped out the fire and they were plunged into absolute darkness. Bill had thankfully remembered the general direction of where Dipper was at, and pulled the man to his feet. "Sorry," he whispered when he heard Dipper let out a gasp of pain. He pulled him close to the wall, using his hands to find the crevice he was looking for.

They slid into the hole in the wall, Bill's body pressed firmly against Dipper's. The voices grew louder, and the darkness was lifted briefly as a flashlight shined into the cave that they were in. Dipper hadn't looked for the entrance of the cave, but the light didn't last even for an instant. Whoever was there had overlooked Bill's hideout completely.

Thankfully.

After they were absolutely sure that the people were gone, Bill squeezed his hand down towards his utility belt where his flashlight was. He flipped the light on, allowing both of them to see each other. A cold sweat had broken out on Dipper's neck. He had tried to keep the weight off his foot to the best of his ability, but there was still a shooting pain running through his ankle. "Pinetree, we need to go." Bill told the brunette. "I know," Dipper managed through barred teeth. "Do you think you could splint my leg or something?" He grunted out.

Bill nodded and pulled himself out of the crevice. "Yeah, actually I think I can. Stay right there."

"Bill, I literally _can't_ move."

The blonde rolled his eyes and flicked his flashlight around. The light eventually landed on two longer chunks of rock that were smooth and straight. Bill retrieved them and went back to Dipper. He offered his hand to him, which Dipper took. He edged his way out of the hole in the wall, hissing in pain when he was forced to put weight down onto his foot. "Alright, sit down." Bill told him, using his free hand to help Dipper sit. With or without the help, Dipper just ended up collapsing onto the floor and onto his butt. He didn't even bother making a noise of discomfort at the sudden fall. It hurt much less than standing.

Quickly, Bill tore off the sleeve of his wet suit and used that to bind the rocks tightly onto Dippers injury. Dipper had never made a splint, so as Bill worked, he just wondered if this thing would really work. He guessed they'd find out soon enough. After Bill finished, he stood up and helped Dipper up as well.

Surprisingly enough, he found it to be easier to stand. Of course he couldn't maneuver that leg much, but at least he could stand without feeling like he was missing a foot. "That's should do it," Bill murmured before gesturing for Dipper to lean onto him. "At least we can make some progress with this."

Dipper obliged and wrapped an arm around Bill's neck, using it to keep him steady as they limped out of the cave. When they finally managed to squeeze their way out of the thin entrance, Dipper found that the new hallway that they had entered into was actually not made up of cave walls at all. No. This was extremely articulated.

The walls were made up of bricks from what he could tell. Bill shined the flashlight onto the floor, which was constructed out of some sort of smooth rock. There were also foot prints that littered the ground. They looked like wet boot prints, and Dipper could only assume that those men had left them there. "I guess we should follow those?" He suggested to Bill, who nodded in response. "Hopefully we can avoid running into more of them. We honestly can't afford any conflicts in this state." Bill replied.

They began to follow the footprints, falling into a tense silence. It wasn't that it was awkward, but both of them were scared. Even Bill was worried about running into someone. From what Dipper could tell, Bill knew this group well. He knew their methods. And since one of them had openly shot at the blonde, he could tell that their methods weren't of the peaceful sort.

To calm his nerves, Dipper took to examining the walls. There were paintings scattered all over the place, and sometimes he spotted a carving or two. He wished that they had time to stop and examine them, but time was of the essence now. S.O. was probably hot on the fountain's trail, and Dipper had no doubt in his mind that they were after the same treasure the two men desired.

Another explosion ripped through the hallway, sending small bits of dust and debris down onto them. "They're going to blow this whole place up," Bill grumbled. It was true. Dipper was actually sort of shocked no water was leaking onto them. This whole place must be covered in that weird goo stuff for all of the ocean to not come flooding in.

Now that he thought of it, this whole place _should_ be flooded. The thought left him feeling shaky and scared. He didn't know how durable that goo was, and he didn't want to test it. They needed to get in and out of here soon, Dipper realized. "I wonder if there's a shortcut." He muttered, looking around some more.

"None that we could take." Bill answered. "My story probably made it sound like finding you was a breeze, but I actually ran all over the place. Good news is that you opened up another set of tunnels that lead deeper into the ruins, which means we're much closer." He let out a sigh and kicked a nearby rock. "Bad news is that those _morons_ are also as far as us, if not closer."

Dipper huffed out a sigh. This really wasn't easy, and it wasn't getting any better. At this rate, they wouldn't get to the fountain first and they'd probably drown trying. There was no reason for S.O. to be keeping this place up once they had their treasure. So if they couldn't get there first, then Dipper and Bill were as good as dead.

He turned his attention back to the walls, picturing the stones crumbling and water flooding in. Dipper shuddered and focused on something else. The lighting was dim, but he could still make out the paintings even if Bill wasn't pointing the light directly at it. At this point, the symbols were beginning to show a sign of repetition. Dipper could've sworn that he saw that picture about five minutes back. "Hey Bill?" Dipper addressed the blonde, earning a grunt of acknowledgement. "Who'd this place belong to?"

"The mer-people." Bill answered nearly immediately. "They've always had claim on it."

"Then why is this place full of air?"

"My guess," he began, readjusting Dipper's arm on his shoulder. "The conquistadors found some form of binding that keeps the water out of here. Although we haven't seen any evidence of them ever coming here so far..." That last part he mumbled out. It had bothered him the entire time they were here. "Binding?" Dipper raised his brow. "Like magic?"

"Sure kid. Like magic." The blonde confirmed. Dipper nodded in understanding, although he was pretty amazed. He believed in the supernatural, but magic was untouched territory. Although, with the tone Bill had used to answer his question, it led him to believe that maybe that "magic" was just a term to shorten up a larger explanation. Or just magic goo. "Alright. Sooo... are mer-people immortal, or something?"

Bill knocked his foot onto a stuck up tile. He pushed it back down with the ball of his foot. "Yeah. They never age, but many eventually get killed off or choose to die. It's mostly ceremonial." He explained.

"Then why did the ancient people of Bimini have a fountain that kept them alive?"

Suddenly, they halted. Bill had stopped completely when he heard Dipper say that, as if something had finally dawned on him. The lighting was horrible, but Dipper looked up at Bill to find his mouth moving. He was thinking. Trying to figure out the rest of the puzzle. In all honesty, Dipper hadn't thought about it until now, but none of this made any sense.

Evidently Bill had finally made sense of it.

"... Pinetree, you're a genius!" Bill exclaimed, turning sharply towards Dipper. The sudden movement nearly through Dipper completely off of him. He blinked in confusion, his face startled by the sudden outburst. "Is that sarcastic?" Dipper tested. He was pretty sure Bill didn't just throw compliments around like that, especially towards him. "No! I'm dead serious!" Bill reassured him.

"Uh... alright?" Dipper pushed Bill off of him. The pain returned to his foot, but it was the lesser of two evils. He hated the way Bill was shouting into his ears. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Do you have your journal with you?"

"Bill why would I bring a book underwater-"

The blonde stopped him from saying anymore with another statement. "Do you remember that part where it talked about fragments?" Dipper blinked again. Where was Bill going with this? None of what he was saying was adding up. "Well ye-"

"It's literally talking about the fountain!" Bill finished, wide-eyed and excited. "The fountain isn't a fountain- it's a _stone_."

Dipper took a second to sit on that statement. It didn't make sense at first, but then he recalled something that Bill had said before. " _Mer-people like beautiful things_..." What else could be broken into fragments and was beautiful? It all made sense! "Well, how does this help us?" Dipper asked, glad that they had figured this piece out, but not so sure how it was helpful. Unless-

"Sixer referred to the fountain as a _fragment_ ," Bill continued, "so it's not the full thing."

Oh. It suddenly dawned on Dipper. They may have the upper hand here! But... well, they don't know where the other fragments were. "So what? Is this like Voldemort's soul or some shit?" Dipper asked. "We have to go out and find the seven fragments? How do we even know where the rest of the fountain is?"

"If we're lucky," Bill moved towards the wall and ran his hand over the drawings. "Then this was just chipped off of the original stone and we'll just have to find that. As for where the rest may be..." His hand flicked off of the wall, some dust following in it's wake. "I bet it's somewhere in here." Bill pointed his flashlight down the hall, where the hallway split into two directions.

There was a single noticeable difference: one path kept the paintings, while the other path started on a new pattern of drawings. Dipper smiled and laughed, "Looks like went the wrong way." He pointed towards the way that started the new pattern. There were the same wet footprints that they had been following. The other passageway was devoid of them. Bill chuckled and went back towards his partner. "Finally, some good news." He muttered as he allowed Dipper to sling his arm back around him for support. The weight lifted off his injury and Dipper let out a breath of relief.

Much better.

They began to trek down the path. It was absolutely quiet down there. The only sounds that resonated through the passageway was their own breathing as they continued to look at the painted walls for guidance. However, Dipper couldn't fully focus and this silence was beginning to become heavy. "Sooo... we kissed." He began.

Bill readjusted the flashlight in his hand so that he could carry Dipper more comfortably. "Your skills of perception are impeccable, Pinetree." The blonde remarked as they came across another intersection. He once again went to the right, noticing that the pattern continued on that side.

"Aaaare we a... thing, then?"

"You mean a _couple_?"

Dipper rolled his eyes, a blush hot on his cheeks. God this was embarrassing, especially when Bill was being... himself. "Yeah, _that_." Dipper returned back at him. Bill chuckled, "Yeah. I guess we are."

Another stretch of silence fell in between them before Dipper asked the dying question. "You're... serious about _us_ then, right? As in... you're serious about being _with_ me?"

_Us_

The blonde thought on it for a second and sniffed, his nose becoming stuffy from all this humidity. "Should I be serious about _us_?"

"Well... yeah." Dipper blinked, as if it were obvious. Well, it kind of was.

"Then I will be," Bill replied. His gaze didn't leave the path ahead of him. Not even once. Not that he was focused, but because he couldn't bear to look at the emotions that were most definitely crossing Dipper's expression. It wasn't that he _didn't_ want to see them, but it would be... too distracting.

_You can have fun later Bill_ , he kept reminding himself. "Well," Dipper broke Bill out of his thoughts. "That was easy."

That made him raise his brow. "What was?"

"Getting you to openly commit," Dipper shrugged. "I figured you'd do the thing where you dodge the answer."

"I don't _dodge_ answers."

"Yeah you do."

"Pinetree," Bill felt a huff escape his lips. "I don't need you telling me what I _do_ and _don't_ do." Dipper laughed at that, earning another look from Bill. For once, the man took a glance at Dipper. The kid was doing that _cute_ giggle thing he always did when Bill did or said something stupid. It always pissed him off _so_ much, and if it was anyone else, he would have already had their head. But... "What?" Bill asked, a frown on his lips. Dipper looked back ahead of them, clearly not threatened by his boss. "Your face right now. You're so serious."

"Kid, I'm getting a little tired of telling you that I'm _always_ serious."

The brunette only chuckled even more at that. "Well," Dipper leaned up a pecked Bill on the cheek. The action earned a blush from Bill, because it wasn't him in control of that one. "I'd like to see your _fun_ side after we're done with this." Dipper chirped.

Bill looked away, pursing his lips to refrain from just... nope. Fun. _Later_. "Hmph... whatever." He grunted out in response. Dipper smiled some more. Man that had felt good.

They walked for a good distance more in a comfortable silence. Dipper was glad to be quiet for the next couple of minutes. He'd gotten something heavy off of his chest. It should keep him satisfied for a while. However, Bill suddenly ended the quiet. "Hmm..." The man hummed in thought. Dipper perked up at the sound of his voice, and stopped limping forward altogether. Bill stopped with him. "What wrong?" Dipper asked.

"The drawings, they just end here." He pointed toward the wall. Bill's words were true. The paintings simply stopped at one last depiction of a crane.

Hmm indeed. Well. "Well?" Dipper raised his brow. Bill returned the quizzical look. "Well what?"

"Aren't you going to look for the secret passage?"

"What?"

"Jeez Bill," Dipper laughed, moving off of Bill. He limped around towards the wall where the paintings were on. He ran his hand over the dusty structure. "Haven't you ever seen a movie?" His hand moved towards the last crane in the pattern, the one that was curled over to reach its wing. "Whenever the path ends or you lose sight of tracks, then it's usually a sign that there's a secret room or passageway."

"This isn't a movie Pine-"

"Found it!"

Dipper had pressed down onto the crane, and the painting sunk into the wall. It was a button. The wall just beside the end of the pattern opened up and slid down into the floor. Pretty standard secret door. Bill actually found that his mouth remained open in shock, but he closed it as soon as Dipper turned towards him with a smug glint to his eyes. "... Well done." He awarded. Dipper shrugged and moved back towards Bill. He swung his arm over his shoulders once again. "Movies help," Dipper tacked on.

"Let's hope they keep helping." The blonde shined his flashlight into the new corridor in front of them. "C'mon, the path keeps going." Bill led them both through the door. Thankfully it wasn't a tight squeeze, so Dipper didn't have to limp in and have Bill catch him.

It was much darker here, and the place was less... articulate. It was like they had gone back in a circle and had returned to the more cave-like areas of the ruins. However, this place still had the paintings drawn onto the walls. They were more crude, since the walls weren't nearly as smooth. There were more of them though. In fact, the more Bill shined the light around, the more paintings that Dipper saw. There were scads of them, on every single angle of the cave.

And they weren't in a pattern either. "Do you think we're close?" Dipper asked.

The cave suddenly began to rattle as another explosion took place. This one sounded much closer than the previous ones, and it was just as intense. Bill and him cringed, trying to avoid the falling dust from the ceiling. Once the shaking had stopped, Bill cursed. "I hope so. I want to find something about where the larger shard is before those morons absolutely destroy the place- DIPPER WATCH OUT!"

They had been so distracted by the explosion that Bill had shined the light away from the path in front of them. Dipper didn't even notice that there was a drop-off until his foot found that there was indeed no floor in front of him. He tipped forward awkwardly, his injured foot skidding off the edge painfully.

In an instant, Bill's hand had shot out and latched onto Dipper's forearm tightly. "Oh my God, kid." Bill pulled him up quickly, earning a squeak from Dipper. His heart was pounding from that near death experience and his face had gone completely white. He let out a frightened and weak laugh. "You're going to give me a heart attack..." Bill shook his head at Dipper. That had scared him nearly as much as it had scared the brunette.

Once they had regathered their bearings, Bill took a moment to shine the light down into the drop-off. This seemed like a dead end to him, but he noticed that the light reflected back at him when he pointed it down into the pit. "There's a pool down there." Bill informed Dipper. The other man blinked and peered down as well, the height of the drop making his stomach flip. "Are we... supposed to jump?" He offered, although he was _really_ hoping that they wouldn't have to dive into a pond like that.

Who knows how deep it is... Dipper could break his neck trying to jump into that. "Seems like it." Bill admitted, looking around for anything that may give them an easier way down. Nothing. "Alright," he sighed. "You want me to go first-"

Another explosion ripped through the almost silence. This one was undeniably close, maybe only a couple hundred yards away. The entire hallway began to shake violently, as if it were an earthquake. The ceiling began to collapse, as did the floor. Dipper twisted his head around in all directions, "Bill!" He shouted. What were they going to do?!

The answer was clear, although Bill knew it was a gamble. He grabbed Dipper's hand and looked him dead in the eye.

"Jump."

* * *

Bubbles surrounded Dipper as he plunged himself into the pool. He bobbed slightly in the water, his foot only barely managing to touch the mucky ground. It felt slimy and cold, but... the water felt rejuvenating against his skin. In fact, it felt _wonderful_ to him. It was almost hard to pull himself up out of the water so he could breathe. He just wanted to stay in there for an eternity, even if it killed him.

But he eventually burst out of the water. Dipper gasped for air, his lungs quickly being relieved of their deprivation. He looked around for Bill, but there was no light in this new room. Well, at least until Bill came bobbing out of the water. The blonde was sputtering, coughing out water slightly.

"Bill!" Dipper called, swimming towards his partner. Bill brought his hand out of the water so he could shine his flashlight towards Dipper. "Sorry!" He managed through a hoarse voice. "I had to go get the flashlight. Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I actually feel great."

To prove his point, Dipper kicked around in the water. Although it didn't make much sense because his leg... was brok..en...

His eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh my God." Dipper muttered, quickly turning so he could swim towards the edge of the pond. He quickly pulled himself out, "Bill! Shine the light onto my leg." Dipper told Bill as he began to rip apart his splint. Bill wanted to ask what Dipper was getting at, but as soon as the light landed on his leg, he knew.

The purple had gone, and Dipper was actually able to move his foot around. There was no pain. No _nothing_. It was like the water had healed him. "Bill... it's not broken anymore." Dipper murmured, flexing his toes.

" _What_?"

"My leg, it's _fine_."

"What- hold on." Bill came out of the water beside Dipper and inspects his scratches and cuts. Sure enough, they were all _gone_. "Incredible..." He whispered in awe. Bill looked away from his arms and torso, and pointed the flashlight towards the rest of the cave. There were drawings everywhere, even more so than in any other hallway or room. There weren't any jewels, but as his light darted around the room, you could see flecks of gold dotting the walls, as if whoever had been in this cave had purposefully _laced_ the walls with gold. Or maybe this was just a gold deposit. Bill stood and began to move around, also noticing that there were a few urns and pots scattered around the room.

However, he was more focused on the language written on the walls. There weren't just drawings of past civilizations painted here, there were also carvings in the cave walls. Words. Symbols. Just like the ones that they had seen upon arriving. They weren't in any language that Bill had ever seen, and he was absolutely determined to figure out who they belonged to. "I don't recognize this language..." Dipper had heard Bill grumble under his breath as he stood.

This whole place was fascinating. From an average person's perspective, this grotto might've seemed only beautiful, and nothing else. But to him and Bill... it was a gold mine. _Literally_. There was so much archeological evidence here, but neither of them knew what to make of it. God he wished he had brought his journal down. It would've most definitely gotten ruined, but he desperately needed to record this.

Dipper stuck close to Bill, seeing how he was the only source of light around. Thankfully, the blonde was inspecting one of the statements by a jar, so the light kept that area pretty much entirely illuminated. Dipper ran his hand over one of the larger jars and lifted the lid. He didn't entirely know what he expected. Organs, ashes, maybe even jewels.

What he didn't expect to see was _food_. Food that wasn't spoiled or rotten, but fruits and grains that looked entirely edible. Cautiously, Dipper pulled out one of the straws of grain and inspected it. He had no idea what it was besides that it was a grain. "Bill... I think this is the healing well." Dipper stated, earning a grunt from Bill as the blonde got up from his kneeling position. "I think there's more than enough evidence to support that. Unfortunately I have no idea what most of these writings say, so we don't have a ton of leads." He scratched the back of his head and sniffed. "Which leaves us with one question; where's the fragment?"

"Wouldn't it be _in_ the well?" Dipper offered, stuffing the plant into this wet suit. It was a little bit uncomfortable, but he wanted to examine it later.

Bill hummed at the idea, but eventually shrugged in agreement. "I suppose it's worth a look. I'll be back in a second. Here." He tossed Dipper the flashlight, which he actually managed to catch with a single hand. "Keep a look out."

The brunette nodded and watched as Bill dove into the water. He didn't quite know how Bill would locate the stone. They didn't even know how big it'd be. Plus, that water wasn't the clearest and there was nearly no light down there. Dipper shrugged it off and returned back to his pot. This time he knelt down so that he could read what was written into the clay.

Not surprisingly, most of it was written in that same chicken scratch. Dipper didn't know what to make of it. However, as his eyes traveled down the smooth edges, he noticed one word that could be identified.

_Μακ_

_That's Greek..._

"Μακ..." Dipper repeated. He ran his hand over the word, noticing that there was a groove just beside what looked to be a K. It was unfinished. Dipper was about to examine it further, but there was another explosion. The cave shook, and Dipper had a sinking feeling that this place wasn't going to be able to handle any more dynamite. Bill burst out of the water,. He had something in his hands, but Dipper couldn't make out what it was. It almost looked like glass.

He didn't have time to ask before both of them heard voices. _Many_ voices. "What was that?" Dipper asked, although he already knew the answer. "They're coming..." Bill murmured. "There's no time to leave. Hide!"

Bill scrambled out of the water, following Dipper as they both hid behind a line of urns. They were big enough to conceal their bodies, and as soon as Dipper flicked off the flashlight, the room was dark enough to hide them fully. However, bright light flooded the room as another explosion ripped open the wall across from where they hid. Thankfully, nothing managed to hit them, but the blast was big enough to make Dipper shake.

They remained absolutely quiet as they heard the splashing of boots against the damp floor. Ten... twelve... twenty... Dipper couldn't count how many people were coming into the room. How would they even survive this? All they had was a knife and a flashlight. Hell, Dipper wasn't even sure if he still _had_ his knife. His hand brushed along his waist, and sure enough, he found that his knife was missing.

Fuck.

Dipper looked towards Bill for an answer to his question, but the blonde was simply staring ahead. He was waiting for something.

"It's just another room." A deep voice rang through the cave. "You! Search through the pots and see if you can find any valuables. We're heading out of here."

"Yes sir!"

The exchange only lasted for a few seconds, but every word felt like years to Dipper. It was such a relief that they were leaving only one guy there, but it was still _one guy_. One guy could lead to a whole lot of trouble, depending on the circumstances. And neither Bill or Dipper knew this guy and what he could do.

Once everyone had gone, Dipper let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He opened his eyes and found Bill looking at him. He was doing that weird hand signal thing that you saw in spy movies, except Dipper had no idea what he meant. He just sat there wide eyed, trying to comprehend.

Evidently that expression was good enough for Bill, because the blonde darted out from behind the urns. Dipper mentally facepalmed himself and poked his head out from behind the jars. He was just in time to watch Bill tackle the guy to the ground, knocking the flashlight out of his hand. Thankfully it landed a few feet away and illuminated them both. "Who the hell-" The man began, but Bill quickly cut him off with a knife to his neck. Dipper didn't even know how Bill had whipped that thing out so quickly, but he figured that he had already unsheathed it before he jumped.

"Where are the rest of your men?" Bill demanded. The man tried to put on a tough act, but quickly swallowed his snarky reply when Bill pressed the knife closer to his throat. Even Dipper went rigid at that. He'd never seen something so... intense. Bill had never killed anyone, or threatened anyone, like this before. At least, not in front of Dipper. "Spit it out," he hissed.

The man gulped. "W-We're spread out all o-over the place," he admitted. "I don't know where everyone is though." Bill let that settle in and inspected the man, but he seemed to be telling the truth. It was pretty believable. "Of course not," Bill grumbled before another wave of explosions shook the cave.

This time, you could hear the gushing water. The place had finally reached its end, and soon it'd be flooded. Dipper bolted up just as the man attempted to flip Bill over to pin him down instead. "Bill, watch out!" Dipper shouted. Bill became alert nearly immediately and retook control of the situation.

With the knife in his hand, he quickly swiped it across the man's neck, severing the artery there and ultimately killing him.

_Blood_

There was so much blood. More blood than Dipper had ever seen before. He began to tremble. Too much was happening. The cave was collapsing. He had just watched his boss kill someone. _And they were probably all going to die as well_.

Somehow, he managed to find his voice. "Are you crazy?!" Dipper demanded, his voice shaking. Bill sheathed his knife and stole the man's gun, sticking it into his utility belt. He turned on Dipper just as water began to gush into the room. "Do you want to find out Pines?" Bill shouted over the water. "Let's go!"

"Was this a part of the plan?!"

"It is now! C'mon!"

For some reason, Bill decided to jump into the pool. He gestured for Dipper to follow. "There's a way out through here. Hurry up!"

You could hardly see the opening to the well anymore. Water was quickly filling the room up, and it was now or never that they get out. Dipper didn't have much choice except listen to Bill. He sucked in a deep breath and dove into the water, praying to God that'd they would make it out of this mess.

He swam towards the bottom of the pool with Bill. Although he couldn't see the blonde, Bill somehow reached out and grabbed Dipper by the arm. He almost let out a startled gasp, but he didn't want to waste his breath. Who knows how far away from the surface they were.

Bill dragged him along, and Dipper felt himself enter a familiar goo. Wait...

The goo. The stuff from the entrance. _That's_ what was on the bottom of the well! Dipper got the message and began to push his way through, losing the grip that Bill had one him.

After what felt like forever, they finally managed to swim out of it. And by that time, Dipper was already out of air. His lungs were beat, and he felt like he was going to pass out. His vision began to blacken and blur.

_You won't make it_

A hand reached out and grabbed his own. Was that... Bill?

_That idiot is dragging me along? Hmph._

Dipper numbly kicked his legs, although he felt like he was making absolutely no progress in the water.

A single bubble escaped his mouth as one last breath escaped his lips. Heh.

_Game over_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ Dipper keeps dying XDDDD anywho, onto replying to reviews 
> 
> RESPONDING TO REVIEWS:
> 
> Dear AngstMom,  
> The plot always thickens in my land. Also, I'M DYING--- no, Dipper will NOT REMAIN A VIRGIN U HEAR MEEEEEEE? ;w; so, um, challenge accepted.  
> You're name is every teenage girl,   
> Hashbrown


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a shit ton of cute fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooookay so this chapter probably could've been another 4k words longer but I'M ALREADY SUPER LATE WITH IT SO I'M SORRY. I forgot to give a little missive last week about what the heck has been going on, so I'll say it now.
> 
> First week I was out: it was because of emotional troubles. It's all resolved now and it was entirely my fault, but I still needed that break. Second week: I just didn't feel up to it. I got about 1k words done and then I bailed. I've been playing a shit ton of overwatch as well sooooo... yeah, also my fault.
> 
> BUT NOW IT IS HERE. I think next chapter I'll add some more fluff and then the return trip from Bimini. Sorry this arc is taking so long. That other 4k words probably would've taken care of it all but, again, I'm late. Hopefully I'll be back on schedule from now on!

_It's so dark_

Light, circular bubbles tickled against his skin as Dipper fought off the urge to pass out again. There was the distant sound of voices, although he was very sure that whoever was talking wasn't far at all. It sounded like shouting almost. Arguing.

Another wave of darkness washed over him, and Dipper fell back into the silence of sleep

* * *

"Huh..."

A small sound escaped Dipper's lips. He felt himself being tossed to the ground. It was strange. He didn't recall standing. Had someone carried him? He couldn't tell. Everything was so blurry and discolored.

Dipper only managed to catch a glimpse of a _creature_. Green, oily skin. It was fighting off something near the edge of the boat, but it was too massive to be able to see what was in front of it.

Something oozed into his line of sight.

_Blood_

* * *

"Red is the rose that in yonder is garden grows..."

A quiet, melodic tune played in the van. It was silent for the most part, but the soft voices of whoever was singing was enough to keep the air from settling. It woke Dipper up for a third time, but this time he felt like he had the strength to keep himself up. He blinked away the blurriness in his vision. It did little to remedy his splitting headache, but at least he was awake.

On a whim, he turned to look at whoever was driving.

Bill.

He was covered in a disgusting green goop. It absolutely ruined what used to be a flawless white t-shirt. Now it was riddled with holes and cuts. Where had he even got that? They were wearing scuba suits, weren't they? Dipper looked down to confirm a small suspicion he had. His clothes had also been replaced with a white shirt and some trousers. Both of them were damp and cold, but thankfully the heater of the car was on so he didn't feel like he was freezing. However, he was also covered in that nasty gunk. He tentatively brushed his finger over one of the stains, only to find that the goo had a similar consistency of fish oil.

_What had happened..._

"What happened?" Dipper managed to groan out. If anyone else had been in the car with them, this whole display would've looked like an after-scene to some intense barfight. Dipper was the drunk, and Bill was the guy who had picked the fight. Given the green gunk, one might also assume that Dipper and Bill had gone fishing as well. Bill sighed. He didn't even look at Dipper.

 _He looked so tired..._ "You passed out when we escaped. I had to drag you up, but we were too far down. Mermando and his goons saved us." Bill admitted, earning a look of surprise from Dipper. Wasn't that place off limits? Why weren't they dead? Did those guards return to their posts? "Is that why we're in new clothes?" Dipper asked. Bill nodded in response, not saying anything further until he noticed that Dipper was still leaning in for more answers. "Mermando managed to get us fixed back up, but everyone was... unhappy, to say in the least. No one believed that we 'just so happened to be in the area' when they found us."

_The arguing_

So that's why Dipper had heard that, but what about the green people on the ship. Were those... "Oh," Dipper made a noise of understanding. Bill had fought off mer-people while Dipper just slept soundly. A hot blush formed on his cheek and Dipper instantly felt guilty. He had been so useless for this entire trip. First he wimped out, then he got lost in some stupid tomb, and now he had literally become dead weight to Bill when he was fighting for his life.

And every single time that this had happened, Bill had been the one to get them out. No wonder he looked so exhausted. "I'm... sorry." Dipper mumbled under his breath. He honestly didn't believe that a weak apology like that even _remotely_ made up for the hell Bill had just been through, but it was all he could come up with.

But Dipper was incredibly sorry. Sorry for blacking out. Sorry for being a wimp. Sorry for being so fucking _useless_. He hated to wallow in his own pity party, but he honestly felt like doing nothing except cry until he felt somewhat better. Another silence fell into between them, and then Dipper heard Bill chuckle. The brunette turned his head to look at his partner, only to find that his somber frown had shifted into the weakest grin that Bill had ever worn. "What're you sorry for, kid?" Bill asked, as if it wasn't obvious enough.

It was obvious to Dipper at least. "For blacking out all the time and being... useless." He admitted finally. It felt even worse now that he had to say it outloud, although that wasn't all that he was thinking. There was more that he was sorry for, but Bill definitely look like he wanted to hear the long list of self-pity that Dipper had compiled. Bill rolled his eyes, "Well there's a reason for the first time. You ran out of air and you weren't used to the sudden pressure change." Okay, but what about the second time. "The second time..." Bill began, glancing down at Dipper's leg as they drove. "Well, there's a reason for that as well."

Dipper shifted his attention towards his leg again. He was clothed there, so he didn't know what Bill meant. Was he referring to his leg in general? The leg he had pointed to was the one that Dipper had been injured in, wasn't it? It got healed though...

_Didn't it?_

He tested whether or not it was healed by shifting it ever so slightly to the right. Nearly immediately Dipper responded with a hiss of pain. "Fuck!" He cursed. Dipper didn't even care how loud that had been. That broken leg hurt like a mother.

It was broken again. Just like before. Did that mean that the spring and everything had been... fake? Or maybe the effects had only been... "The effects of the stone were temporary," Bill explained as soon as he noticed the thoughtful look on Dipper's face. The brunette directed his attention back to Bill, and took notice that besides several new scratches, all his older wounds and bruises were still gone. "All of our scratches and minor wounds are gone though." Dipper added, wondering if those would be re-appearing soon enough. It was definitely something he wasn't looking forward to.

Bill nodded, digging his hand into his pocket to retrieve something. He passed Dipper a small stone. It was about the size of his thumb nail, and it glittered like starlight. It made Dipper wonder how Bill could have spotted something like this in that pool, but then he realized that this thing must've been glimmering to some degree. It definitely was shiny. "I think because this fragment is so puny, it can only handle minor injuries. A serious internal wound like the one you've got was probably too much for it to handle."

They'd just have to see if that was true however. Sooner or later those cuts and bruises would return, and then they'd know. Dipper handed the stone back to Bill after he had fondled with it for a good five minutes. "So," he began. "Do we have any leads?" Whatever that cave had offered hadn't been very much. If they had had more time in it, then they would've probably found out more. It was collapsed though. Gone. Lost in the sea. "We'll have to see," Bill told him right as they pulled into the driveway of the cottage. The blonde got out of the van and reached into the side compartment. He pulled out Dipper's journal and went around to the other side of the car.

Currently, Dipper was trying to get out and walk to the front porch. It really wasn't happening, because every time he tried moving there was a distinct sound of pain that escaped his lips. Although Dipper seemed very keen on keeping it quiet. Bill rolled his eyes and handed Dipper the journal. "Alright, Pinetree. Quit trying to be the tough guy, I know it hurts." Dipper huffed at the remark and grappled onto his journal. He held it close to his chest, extremely thankful that S.O. hadn't taken it for themselves. Bill held out his arm for Dipper to take. _How is that going to help?_ Dipper wondered to himself, but he moved into the arm anyways.

Before he knew it, Bill had swooped him up into a bridal hold. Dipper squawked, "Bill!"

"Pinetree."

"Let me go I can walk-"

"No you can't," Bill stated. His voice made it clear that there was really no room for arguing. Dipper huffed but did little more than hold onto his book tighter. It wasn't that this position embarrassed him (although it kind of did), but Bill looked near fainting. Any _normal_ person would've passed out by this point, but Bill was standing tall. However, Dipper could slightly feel the trembling in his muscles.

They made it to the door. If there was anything they needed to retrieve inside the van, it seemed like it wasn't going to be brought into the house. Bill fumbled to get the keys out of his pocket, and Dipper helped by reaching into his front-left pocket. He unlocked the door for Bill, receiving an almost inaudible "thanks" as they passed through the entrance.

Without any thought, Bill brought Dipper to his bedroom and nearly dumped him onto the mattress. It hurt a little bit, but Dipper didn't feel any anger towards Bill. If anything, he was mad at himself for being so damn useless. "I've got some things to take care of," Bill said, clearing the silence. "You can try taking a shower. I'll be in my room."

With that, Bill walked off. It was funny how he had told Dipper that he could try and take a shower, even though the blonde hadn't even let Dipper walk to his own room. He wasn't going to attempt making a journey to the bathroom however. He doubted he'd even be able to pull himself into the tub. His arms felt so... used. Dipper's whole body just felt worn and abused; more so than when he first began training.

Maybe it was because he was mentally exhausted in addition to being physically fatigued. Whatever the case, one thing was clear: he wanted sleep. Dipper may be covered in mer-person blood (or whatever this green stuff was) and smell like absolute retch, but he was on a bed and he was giving little to no fucks about it. He kicked off his damp shoes and socks, noticing that they were actually quite nice despite being drenched in seawater. Lastly, Dipper peeled his shirt off his back, throwing it as far away from the bed as possible. He didn't even bother trying to remove his pants. That would be one painful experience. He was just glad that he had managed to get his shoes off.

"That'll do." Dipper mumbled to himself. He shimmied himself into the bed, taking care not to move his leg all that much. It'd be healed soon enough, he supposed. Yeah.

_It'll all be over soon_

* * *

"It'll all be over soon." Bill reassured his brother over the phone. He had made sure that it was William, since the first person to pick up the phone was their horribly sly butler, Tad. Tad was a useful subordinate, but he often got too close to William for Bill's liking. He had a similar relationship with Kryptos.

There was a weak cough over the phone. It made Bill flinch. Those had become a much more prominent sound in their calls. Will was getting worse. How much longer would he last?

_Not forever_

Bill bit his lip. _Yes, forever._ He'd make sure of it. "Thank... you." Will managed to get out. He wheezed several times afterwards, and with each one, the sinking feeling of death overcame Bill. The blonde felt that with every cough, Will would get even closer to death. "P...Please be...sa..."

"Safe?"

Another round of coughing. "Yeah... Tad..."

There was the sound of the phone shifting. The bland and _infuriating_ voice of Tad Strange sang through the speaker. "Sorry Master Cipher. William has had his fair share of talking for the night. I must ask that you retire so that Master Cipher can rest." Tad urged Bill. He heard several protests from Will, but they were just as quiet as his previous sayings. "Alright." Bill muttered. "Goodnight, _Tad_."

Oh how his blood was boiled.

He was mad. Not just at Tad for cutting him off, but because this whole... _trip_ , had been purely unsuccessful. Sure they got information, and they had things that could add up to a great lead, but they could be running in circles for _who knows how long_. Will wouldn't _last_ that long. Bill took in a long breath.

"Goodnight Master Cipher."

Bill flipped off the phone and drummed his fingers against the bed. Sitting beside him were several things. Dipper's hat, Dipper's cell-phone, and some of the various things that they had collected on the trip. Right before he had escaped that underwater nightmare of a city, Bill had managed to snag everything out of their suits. Some of this other stuff was already on the boat. He'd have to analyze them tonight, but in all honesty, he didn't have the heart for it.

His gaze fell on Dipper's phone, and then retreated to Pinetree's hat.

Well. He could certainly make a call.

* * *

_Blood_

A horrible shaking wracked Dipper's body and the bed as he envisioned the man that Bill had killed.

_He's dead_

It was a thought that he had mostly put out of his head until now, but he hadn't really had time to register it. Now he did, and it was _terrible_.

_Those cold, but heated golden eyes_

That had been the first death (outside of animals) that Dipper had witnessed. It had to be the most gruesome as well. The blood gushing out of the severed artery in that man's neck. It pooled on the slick floor as water rushed into the room...

_Is he going to kill me as well?_

The dream shifted. Dipper was laying down on the ground, unable to move. He felt a shooting pain run through his body. He couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, but as he watched blood pool around him, he somehow concluded that it was his neck. Bill stood over him with that same combat knife, looking as malicious as he did when he had murdered that man.

_That knife will be the death of me_

Before Bill could bring the knife near him again, Dipper shot up in the bed. He was shaking and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He felt sick. Absolutely sick. _Yep_. Dipper bolted up out of the bed, ignoring the searing pain coming up from his leg. He sprinted to the bathroom, somehow managing to slide in front of the toilet before emptying out all of the contents that were left in his stomach.

Which was to say: not very much. It was mostly foul smelling bile and small pickings from earlier yesterday. He dry heaved for a good minute more before Dipper finally settled back down on the floor. That's when the pain from his leg hit him, and he quickly sucked in a breath. "Fuuuuck..." He moaned in pain. He hated this. He hated all of this. He hated what happened. Dipper just felt like... well, shit _may_ have been an understatement.

Dipper wanted to forget it. He wanted to forget that Bill had literally slaughtered someone in front of him. It hadn't bothered him under now. Would it haunt him forever? Was this going to become some recurring nightmare? An evil Bill trying to hunt him down?

_Would he kill someone again?_

After a moment more of moaning and forcing back tears, he heard footsteps come down the hall. Bill opened the door and stared blankly down at Dipper as if this wasn't surprising at all. He had a sort of impressed glint to his eyes, as if he was proud that Dipper actually had the guts to make it to the bathroom. "I'm not even going to ask." Bill chuckled, pretending not to notice that Dipper was glaring at him.

Currently, Dipper did not want to see Bill. So far the man had caused a shit ton of drama in his life, and he didn't need Bill providing some half-assed support while he was wallowing over his own stomach contents. "Go away Bill." Dipper grumbled out. He was not in the best of moods. Bill simply rolled his eyes at the remark and gingerly flushed the toilet. "Alright kid. We're getting you washed up." He said, ignoring Dipper requests to leave.

"I can't stand." Dipper immediately retorted back.

"I'll stay with you."

"I'm not getting naked in front of you."

Apparently this back and forth banter wasn't pleasing Bill as much as it usually did, because he didn't egg it on any further. "Then I'll get you a bathing suit, deal?" Dipper pursed his lips and finally offered a nod. It'd be adequate for now. He didn't want to deny that he felt absolutely disgusting in his current state. His mouth tasted like vomit and he was still covered in sweat, seawater, and mer-people guts. "Fine." He agreed.

Bill departed from the room for a minute, giving Dipper a second to calm down his leg. It still had that dull throbbing that had been plaguing him since the car ride, but he had almost grown numb to the sensation. However, he feared that soon enough he would grow impatient of the feeling and become slightly delirious. Just like when he used to get really bad sunburns. It was tolerable for a bit, but then it became downright unbearable. The blonde returned with a new pair of swim trunks, tossing them into the bathroom.

He already knew that Dipper wouldn't want to be watched while changing clothes. Even though they were a newly formed couple, Dipper was still keen on keeping his dignity under wraps. "Alright, you can come in." Dipper announced, watching as the door was pushed open by Bill Cipher. He was also wearing swim trunks. Bill didn't look entirely unhappy. In fact, he seemed somewhat amused by Dipper's childlike and innocent behavior.

Still, Dipper wondered what Bill would've looked like with all of his clothes off. Even now he could see the majority of things he'd hadn't gotten a good glimpse of. Tattoos. Scars. Some of them he'd seen a lot of, but others were new to him. Definition of muscle as well...

"Up we go!" Bill was suddenly swooping Dipper up into a bridal hold. Dipper hadn't even noticed that Bill had approached him, nor that he had turned on the faucet. He let out a small squeak of surprise, which earned an amused chuckle from Bill. The blonde stepped into the tub and lowered them both down so that Dipper was rested in between Bill's legs. Water already pooled underneath them, and it relieved his aching leg to some degree. "You know," Dipper began. "This just makes it so we're bathing in our filth."

"Well we could always stand and shower."

...

Nevermind. That sounded equally as unappealing. His leg would probably snap from underneath him. "Whatever..." He grumbled to himself, trying not to sound like he approved of any of this. Bill took that as a sign of "alright do what you want" because he instantly allowed his hands to come up towards Dipper's hair. Somewhere in that process he'd gotten some shampoo, because he began to scrub Dipper's scalp. The brunette wanted to cringe at the sensation. "My hands aren't broken." Dipper protested, batting Bill's hands away with no success. Bill simply splashed some water in Dipper's direction. "They most certainly aren't" Bill replied.

A heated blush formed on Dipper's cheeks. "Then why aren't you letting me wash myself?"

"Well," Bill dunked some water onto Dipper's head. He sputtered for a second, trying to get the soapy taste of shampoo of his mouth. He didn't even have the opportunity to close his mouth before Bill did that. "You didn't let me have an intimate shower with you." Oh, the swim trunks. "So I'm making the most of it." Bill finished and leaned forward to turn off the water.

"I just threw up and you want to be _intimate_ with me?"

"Yeesh kid. Don't fetish shame."

Dipper made a slightly disgusted face, but all the same relaxed onto Bill. At least they were having some normal banter. "That is actually disgusting." He huffed, earning a scoff from Bill. "Says the guy who chased a 16 year old girl around when he was 12."

"Hey- wait," Dipper turned his head to look back at Bill questionably. "how do you know about that?"

"Word gets around?" Bill feigned an innocent look.

" _Bill_."

"Fine," Bill submitted. "I stole your phone and talked to your sister."

 _Oh no_. " _What_? When?!" Dipper demanded in utter horror. Okay. He didn't know _what_ Bill had said to Mabel, but honestly it couldn't be anything good. And since when did he get his phone? Dipper silently thanked his decision to erase his browsing history the day before. "Tonight." Bill replied, "Why do you think I'm in such a good mood?" He chuckled and dropped some more water onto Dipper's head. "That girl literally threw glitter at the camera for me. I've never been more flattered."

"You _skyped_ her?"

"Well yeah. I wanted to see female Pinetree."

So that was his reasoning. Yeah. Okay. Dipper wasn't about to push the 'I believe' button just yet. "You... you have issues." The brunette said warily, sinking down further into Bill's lap. He merely chuckled and wrapped a slick arm around Dipper's waist. "Considering everything that's been happening, yeah, I've got a shit ton of issues. Speaking of which, remind me to change my stupid nickname. What was it again?"

"Uh... Mister Triangle?"

Dipper hadn't heard that in a while. It never seemed to be in use, even though it was the thing that had brought him here. It was probably something silly that Bill had come up with to give himself a little title for all the nerds researching Mindscape. "Yeah," Bill said. "It makes me sound completely un-sociopathic."

Dipper scoffed. "Isn't that a _good_ thing? If anything," He flicked a bit of water in between in his legs. "It makes you sound like a really overrated pimp."

A period of silence fell between them after that comment as Bill sat on that thought.

"Actually, I might keep it."

 _Good grief._ "Oh no you don't."

"Why?" Bill smirked devilishly. "Is Pinetree against me having that title when I'm bedding him?"

"Yes. Very. And you aren't-"

The arm that was wrapped around his waist loosened, and Bill's hand traveled down to Dipper's groin. "Perhaps I should make you more accepting to..."

_Nope_

Faster than Bill could react, Dipper had shot out his hand and slapped him away. Uh. No no. "Aaaaand this is why we're in swimsuits." Dipper concluded, making it so that Bill really couldn't come back with a witty comment. The Pines boy couldn't deny it though, his heart was hammering. A hot blush was threatening to form on his cheek, but he had to remind himself that Bill wouldn't do something like that.

"Hmph."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry once again

Okay so I know at this point you guys are expecting a chapter, and so far, I haven't pulled my weight. I should've been working on it throughout this week, but I didn't because I figured that I'd just finish it this weekend when I didn't have summer school.

So here's my apology.

I'm not going to be able to update for the next two to three weeks. Why? Well, and I just found this out yesterday, but I'm going to be basically taking a two week vacation. My friend Caroline graciously invited me to go to the beach with her for a week, and so I said yeah. The week after that I'm going on a mandatory family vacation (it's basically a last vacation with my grandparents before they die, so I really don't want to be bothered with writing a fanfic while I'm with them).

Now, as I've mentioned before, I'm currently taking an online course (no I didn't fail a class -w- I'm just taking it). So technically I'm going to be missing two weeks of work. I've planned a schedule, but it'll involve me working my ass off for the rest of this week and the next week. So I will not be available this week either.

So there. My next three weeks in about 200 words. I wanted to give you guys a proper explanation because I've bailed on several stories and have made several promises that I didn't keep in the past. Not to mention I've been late on this one. Especially recently. I thought this summer I'd have plenty of time to do stuff, but it just hasn't worked out like that.

I'm so very sorry, and thank you everyone for the comments and support you've given me. I'll try to the best of my ability to push out a long chapter for the next update! Thank you so much!

 

(also MichiruCipher your comment made me choke on my toast. I'm really depressed it got deleted when I updated this chapter ;w; thank you so much) 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoy ;w; please review and all that. I'm very new to this site-- although I read on it a lot XD so if there's like some weird technical shit happening, I apologize


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